Survival of the Sneakiest 1. When it comes to crickets, what does fitness mean? 2. Is calling good or bad for a cricket's fitness? 3. Give some examples of selection at work in this cricket story. 4. How does selection favor calling? How does selection favor not calling?

Fitness -Fitness, in the evolutionary sense of the word, is the ability of an organism to pass on its genes to offspring -this depends on context; an organism fit in one context may not be fit in another ex. organisms fit during an ice age may not be fit when ice age is over -fitness is ultimately about reproduction

Fitness - “Survival of the Fittest” is a phrase coined by Charles Darwin which says that those with favorable adaptations will continue to survive and pass on their genes to future generations -Adaptations are not how an organism “adjusts” or changes -Adaptations are inherited traits that do not develop over an individual’s lifetime, but over generations and they are useful for an organism’s survival

Fitness -Adaptations depend on context; a favorable adaptation could easily become unfavorable with environmental changes -Adaptations don’t necessarily mean the strongest, fastest, or smartest traits either; sometimes an adaptation that is “just enough” is favorable enough