Spandrel (biology)
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- | The term '''atavism''' (derived from the Latin ''atavus'', a great-grandfather's grandfather and, thus, more generally, an ancestor) denotes the tendency to revert to ancestral type. An atavism is a real or supposed [[evolution]]ary throwback, such as traits reappearing which had disappeared generations ago. Atavisms occur because [[gene]]s for previously existing [[phenotype|phenotypical]] features are often preserved in [[DNA]], even though the genes are not expressed in some or most of the organisms possessing them. | + | |
+ | In [[evolution|evolutionary biology]], a '''spandrel''' is a [[phenotype|phenotypic]] characteristic that is a byproduct of the evolution of some other characteristic, rather than a direct product of [[natural selection|adaptive selection]]. | ||
+ | The term originated during the Roman era as an architectural word for the roughly triangular space between the tops of two adjacent arches and the ceiling. These spaces were not actually utilized until later on, when artists realized they could make designs and paint in these small areas, enhancing the overall design of the building. [[Stephen Jay Gould]], a [[paleontologist]] at [[Harvard]], and [[Richard Lewontin]], a [[population genetics|population geneticist]], borrowed the word to apply to secondary byproducts of adaptations that were not necessarily adaptive in themselves. | ||
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==See also== | ==See also== | ||
- | *[[Atavistic regression]] | ||
*[[Exaptation]] | *[[Exaptation]] | ||
- | *[[Spandrel (biology)]] | + | *[[Atavism]] |
*[[Vestigiality]] | *[[Vestigiality]] | ||
{{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} |
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In evolutionary biology, a spandrel is a phenotypic characteristic that is a byproduct of the evolution of some other characteristic, rather than a direct product of adaptive selection. The term originated during the Roman era as an architectural word for the roughly triangular space between the tops of two adjacent arches and the ceiling. These spaces were not actually utilized until later on, when artists realized they could make designs and paint in these small areas, enhancing the overall design of the building. Stephen Jay Gould, a paleontologist at Harvard, and Richard Lewontin, a population geneticist, borrowed the word to apply to secondary byproducts of adaptations that were not necessarily adaptive in themselves.
See also