coadaptation

[ koh-ad-uhp-tey-shuhn ]

noun
  1. Biology. the correlation of structural or behavioral characteristics in two or more interacting organisms in a community or organs in an organism resulting from progressive accommodation by natural selection.

  2. Also called integration. Genetics. the accumulation in a population's gene pool of genes that interact by harmonious epistasis in the development of an organism.

Origin of coadaptation

1
First recorded in 1830–40; co- + adaptation

Other words from coadaptation

  • co·ad·ap·ta·tion·al, adjective
  • co·ad·ap·ta·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Scientific definitions for coadaptation

coadaptation

[ kō′ăd′ăp-tāshən ]


  1. The mutual adaptation of two or more genetically determined features through natural selection. Coadaptation can occur between interacting genes or structures within an organism or between two or more interacting species.

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