We know that living organisms evolve to adapt to a particular environment. So, should adaptation be considered a component or consequence of evolution?
I would say adaptation is the outcome of natural selection, one of the mechanisms of evolution.
Adaptation can be considered as part of evolution and ultimately, the outcome of natural selection.
Hello Rahul; I'd rephrase your first statement to say "Evolution is the change in gene frequencies that result from differentially successful reproduction within a population". Said the way it was in the question sounds teleological. The processes aren't teleological.
Described in terms of changing gene frequencies makes it possible to characterize adaptation in terms of increasing numbers of individuals possessing those genes. So, adaptation is an outcome of evolutionary change. Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers
Yes, but natural selection (and its outcome, adaptation) is just one of the mechanisms that can make allele frequencies change through time. Random processes (drift and mutation), not leading to adaptation, are other important mechanisms of evolution. So evolutionary change and adaptation are not synonyms.
Hello Pierre; Yes, indeed! Thanks for the refinement. Best, Jim Des Lauriers
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