evolutionary trap
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.70 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
5
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The situation of an evolved behaviour or trait of a species becoming detrimental to the survival or reproductive ability of individuals, possibly leading to extinction.
noun
The situation of a rapid ecological change triggering decisions about choice of habitat that are detrimental for an individual; an ecological trap.
Example Sentences
- "2004, Francisco Pulido, Peter Berthold, Microevolutionary Response to Climate Change, Anders P. Møller, W. Fielder, P. Berthold (editors), Advances in Ecological Research, Volume 35: Birds and Climate Change, page 152, Antagonistic genetic correlations and maladaptive phenotypic responses (evolutionary traps) are probably the most important constrain[t]s to microevolutionary change."
- "Evolutionary traps can threaten populations and species if they result in widespread reductions in survival and reproduction."
- "Sometimes artificial light becomes an evolutionary trap as the age-old biological imperatives of a species, which helped it survive for eons, turn into liabilities."
Inflected Forms
Phrases
perceptual trap
Frequently Paired Words
perceptual trap
Synonyms
ecological trap