Adaptive Series

Adaptive series: how species adapt to environmental change

An adaptive series is a sequence of stages of adaptation of a biological species to a change in any environmental factor. This process allows the species to survive and thrive in new environments, which may be caused by climate change, geographic movements, or other factors.

Every species on Earth has gone through many adaptive series since its appearance on the planet. Some species were successful in adapting to new conditions, while others were unable to survive. An example of successful adaptation is the emergence of a person who was able to adapt to various conditions, ranging from life in caves to life in modern cities.

An adaptive series can include many stages. Early in the process, a species may change its behavior to better suit the new environment. For example, animals may change their diet to get more nutrients or change their activity to avoid predators.

If changes in the environment continue, the species may begin to change its genetic structure. This can happen through mutations, which can change the phenotype of a species, or through natural selection, which results in individuals better adapted to new conditions being more likely to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation.

Adaptive series can be a fairly lengthy process that can take many generations. Some species can adapt more quickly than others, depending on their biological characteristics and environment.

Ultimately, the adaptive range allows species to survive and thrive in a changing environment. This is due to their ability to adapt to new conditions that may arise in the future. Understanding the adaptive series helps us better understand the evolution of species and predict how they will adapt to a changing environment in the future.



Adaptive series is a set of successive stages of adaptation of a biological species to changes in any environmental factor, which can be either positive or negative. This term was proposed by the Russian biologist I.I. Schmalhausen in 1942.

Adaptation (from Latin adaptatio - adaptation) - the process of adapting the body to changing environmental conditions; the result of this process is the adaptation of organisms to certain living conditions.

Adaptation can occur at different levels of organization of living things: molecular, cellular, organismal and population. This allows the body to adapt to a wide range of environmental factors and survive in difficult conditions.

Depending on which environmental factor causes adaptation, several types of adaptation are distinguished:

  1. Physiological adaptation is a change in the physiological functions of the body in response to changing environmental conditions. For example, a change in breathing rate when the air temperature rises.

  2. Ecological adaptation is a change in the behavior and appearance of an organism in response to changes in environmental conditions. For example, the color change in some types of insects when the lighting changes.

  3. Behavioral adaptation is a change in the body's behavioral reactions in response to changes in the environment. For example, the migration of animals in search of better conditions for reproduction.

  4. Evolutionary adaptation is a change in the genotype of an organism in response to environmental factors. Evolutionary changes can lead to the emergence of new species or even entire kingdoms of living organisms.

  5. Social adaptation is a change in social relationships between organisms in response to changes in the social environment. For example, joining groups for protection from predators or for searching for food.

In essence, adaptation is one of the main mechanisms that ensure the survival and prosperity of living organisms in an ever-changing environment.