Question

If habitat selection behavior is influenced by genes, why is learning not an adaptation in a fixed world with constant good and bad habitat types?

a.Selection will favor individuals that prefer to breed in the good habitat, so the world will contain individuals that only breed in the good habitat and learning will be unnecessary.
b.Learning will only lead to breeding in the good habitat 50% of the time, so it will not be favored.
c.In a fixed world, there is no relationship between past experience and future conditions, so learning is not beneficial.
d.Learning is too costly in a fixed world.
e.The benefits of learning in a fixed world are too unpredictable.

Answer 1

In a fixed world with constant good and bad habitat types, Selection will favor individuals that prefer to breed in the good habitat, so the world will contain individuals that only breed in the good habitat and learning will be unnecessary. (option c)

Step-by-step explanation:

In a static environment with constant good and bad habitat types, there is no variation in the relationship between past experiences and future conditions. The fixed nature of the world means that any learned behavior or adaptation would not confer a reproductive advantage, as the conditions remain consistent. In such a scenario, genetic traits associated with habitat preference would be sufficient for successful reproduction. Learning, which relies on the ability to adapt to changing environments, becomes unnecessary when the environment is stable.

In this context, option c is the most appropriate choice because it recognizes that learning is not favored when there is no meaningful connection between past experiences and future outcomes in an unchanging world. Natural selection would act on genetic predispositions rather than learned behaviors, as there is no advantage to acquiring new information or skills in a fixed environment.

In a static world with constant habitat types, genetic factors play a more significant role in determining adaptive behaviors, rendering learning less relevant in the evolutionary process.