A behavior is considered adaptive if it increases an individual's fitness. How is fitness measured? Select True or False for each statement.
T/F Strength
T/F Body size
T/F Speed
T/F Number of viable offspring

Question

A behavior is considered adaptive if it increases an individual's fitness. How is fitness measured? Select True or False for each statement.

T/F Strength

T/F Body size

T/F Speed

T/F Number of viable offspring

Accepted Answer

Hi everyone. Let's look at our next question. It says, what is the metric for indirect fitness? Let's recall. That metric equals the means of measuring. So how do we measure indirect fitness. What's your call from our conduct videos, fitness equals the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce. So indirect fitness refers not to the ability of an individual to reproduce directly its own offspring, but the ability of an organism to aid in the reproduction and survival of genetic relatives. Again, the goal of reproduction is to pass on one's own genes, which is most directly done by reproducing having one's own offspring. However, in some organisms, uh indirect fitness means that the organism aids in the reproductive success in the fitness of genetic relatives. Since the the individual and relatives share genes that is still working towards the goal of passing on the genes of that individual. Obviously, the closer the relative, um the greater number of the organism's own genes that get passed on. So an example of indirect fitness would be say, a grandmother helping to raise a grandchild. So by helping her daughter say to raise her child, the daughter has more resources freed up to be able to have additional Children. So the daughter might have more Children than she otherwise would have due to the grandmother's help, More of the grandmother's genes get passed on, even though the grandchildren aren't the grandmothers direct offspring because due to her aid, her daughter produces more offspring than she would have otherwise. So let's look at our answer choices. Choice A says number of offspring produced by an individual. Well, this would be a measure of direct fitness. The individual's own offspring. So not our answer here. Choice B says number of off being raised by an individual. Again, that would be part of direct fitness and therefore not our answer. Choice C. Says helping relatives produce more offspring than they could produce on their own. And that is the correct answer. That is a metric or measurement or indirect fitness. And, finally, Choice C helping relatives produce and raise their final offspring. Well, this doesn't have anything to do with final offspring. Doesn't matter whether it's the first middle final um It's just producing more offspring than they would otherwise. So Choice D. Is not the correct answer. So, again, what's the metric for indirect fitness choice C helping relatives produce more offspring than they could produce on their own. See you in the next video.

A behavior is considered adaptive if it increases an individual's fitness. How is fitness measured? Select True or False for each statement.
T/F Strength
T/F Body size
T/F Speed
T/F Number of viable offspring

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

Key Concepts

Fitness in Evolutionary Biology

Adaptive Behavior

Measurement of Fitness