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How does kinesis increase an animal's fitness?

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Final answer:

Kinesis increases an animal's fitness by enabling it to move away from undesirable environments, thus enhancing survival and reproductive chances. This inherent behavior, exemplified by orthokinesis and klinokinesis, is significant for the evolutionary fitness of organisms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Kinesis is an undirected movement of an organism in response to a stimulus that can increase an animal's fitness by enhancing its probability of survival and reproduction. For instance, orthokinesis involves the change in the speed of movement of an organism like woodlice in response to temperature changes.

This random but adaptive behavior allows the organism to spend less time in unfavorable environments, thereby increasing its chances of survival. Similarly, klinokinesis involves increased turning behaviors, as seen in bacteria such as E. coli, which, when coupled with orthokinesis, aids in navigation towards hospitable environments.

Both of these behaviors fall under the category of innate behaviors that have evolved because they increase an organism's chances of surviving and reproducing, which are key components of evolutionary fitness.

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