Adaptation is a cross‑disciplinary concept describing how organisms, cultures, and artworks adjust to environments, contexts, or media. In biology it denotes traits shaped by natural selection; in social sciences it concerns adjustments of human systems; in the arts it refers to transforming works across media.
Last updated March 7, 2026
17th-century term; cross‑disciplinary concept; core to evolutionary theory; central in climate policy discourse; key in media studies.
Definitions and Scope
In biology, adaptation denotes the process by which a species becomes fitted to its environment via natural selection acting on heritable variation over generations, and the features that result from this process, with additional usage for short‑term physiological adjustments Britannica. In philosophy of biology, debates over “adaptationism” concern how central natural selection should be in explaining traits versus pluralist appeals to constraints and history Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. In social sciences and climate policy, adaptation refers to adjustments in natural or human systems in response to experienced or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, encompassing both processes and states of being adapted IPCC WGII TAR. In arts and media, adaptation is the transformation of a pre‑existing work (often literary or theatrical) into another medium such as film or television Oxford Reference.
Biological Adaptation
Natural selection increases the prevalence of heritable variants that enhance reproductive success, producing organism–environment fit across morphology, physiology, and behavior Britannica. Experimental evolution demonstrates adaptation directly; long‑term microbial studies and antibiotic resistance illustrate rapid adaptive change under selection mBio (Lenski). Disputes about the scope of adaptation invoke adaptationism versus pluralism: advocates emphasize selection’s unique explanatory role, while pluralists stress developmental, genetic, and historical constraints alongside selection Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Concepts such as Exaptation distinguish features co‑opted for new functions from traits originally selected for a given role, clarifying inference about adaptive histories Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Cultural and Social Adaptation
Human adaptation involves cultural transmission and learning biases that shape how cultural traits spread and persist, complementing genetic evolution Biology Letters; The fundamentals of cultural adaptation. In migration research, Acculturation is reconceived as multidimensional change across practices, values, and identifications, with heritage‑ and receiving‑culture orientations varying independently; Berry’s bidimensional model yields categories such as assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization American Psychologist. Climate adaptation in social‑ecological systems emphasizes determinants of adaptive capacity—economic, social, institutional, and technological conditions—and links to concepts like sensitivity, vulnerability, resilience, and coping range IPCC WGII TAR. These perspectives inform policy on enhancing resilience in communities, sectors, and regions exposed to climatic risks IPCC WGII TAR.
Adaptation in Media and the Arts
In adaptation studies, the longstanding “fidelity” question—how closely a film should follow its source—has given way to frameworks stressing intertextuality and medium‑specific transformation A Companion to Literature, Film, and Adaptation. Hutcheon characterises adaptations as creative, context‑sensitive acts of reinterpretation that circulate across media and cultures rather than derivative copies [A Theory of Adaptation](book://Linda Hutcheon|A Theory of Adaptation|Routledge|2006). Stam, drawing on dialogism, critiques hierarchical fidelity models and foregrounds networks of texts shaping reception and meaning [Literature through Film](book://Robert Stam|Literature through Film: Realism, Magic, and the Art of Adaptation|Blackwell|2005). Common practices include rights acquisition, scripting for medium specificity (e.g., visual narration, sound), and consideration of audience and market, with diverse outcomes from strict retellings to loose reworkings Oxford Reference; A Companion to Literature, Film, and Adaptation.
Adaptation is a cross‑disciplinary concept describing how organisms, cultures, and artworks adjust to environments, contexts, or media. In biology it denotes traits shaped by natural selection; in social sciences it concerns adjustments of human systems; in the arts it refers to transforming works across media.
Last updated March 7, 2026
17th-century term; cross‑disciplinary concept; core to evolutionary theory; central in climate policy discourse; key in media studies.
Definitions and Scope
In biology, adaptation denotes the process by which a species becomes fitted to its environment via natural selection acting on heritable variation over generations, and the features that result from this process, with additional usage for short‑term physiological adjustments Britannica. In philosophy of biology, debates over “adaptationism” concern how central natural selection should be in explaining traits versus pluralist appeals to constraints and history Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. In social sciences and climate policy, adaptation refers to adjustments in natural or human systems in response to experienced or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, encompassing both processes and states of being adapted IPCC WGII TAR. In arts and media, adaptation is the transformation of a pre‑existing work (often literary or theatrical) into another medium such as film or television Oxford Reference.
Biological Adaptation
Natural selection increases the prevalence of heritable variants that enhance reproductive success, producing organism–environment fit across morphology, physiology, and behavior Britannica. Experimental evolution demonstrates adaptation directly; long‑term microbial studies and antibiotic resistance illustrate rapid adaptive change under selection mBio (Lenski). Disputes about the scope of adaptation invoke adaptationism versus pluralism: advocates emphasize selection’s unique explanatory role, while pluralists stress developmental, genetic, and historical constraints alongside selection Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Concepts such as Exaptation distinguish features co‑opted for new functions from traits originally selected for a given role, clarifying inference about adaptive histories Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Cultural and Social Adaptation
Human adaptation involves cultural transmission and learning biases that shape how cultural traits spread and persist, complementing genetic evolution Biology Letters; The fundamentals of cultural adaptation. In migration research, Acculturation is reconceived as multidimensional change across practices, values, and identifications, with heritage‑ and receiving‑culture orientations varying independently; Berry’s bidimensional model yields categories such as assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization American Psychologist. Climate adaptation in social‑ecological systems emphasizes determinants of adaptive capacity—economic, social, institutional, and technological conditions—and links to concepts like sensitivity, vulnerability, resilience, and coping range IPCC WGII TAR. These perspectives inform policy on enhancing resilience in communities, sectors, and regions exposed to climatic risks IPCC WGII TAR.
Adaptation in Media and the Arts
In adaptation studies, the longstanding “fidelity” question—how closely a film should follow its source—has given way to frameworks stressing intertextuality and medium‑specific transformation A Companion to Literature, Film, and Adaptation. Hutcheon characterises adaptations as creative, context‑sensitive acts of reinterpretation that circulate across media and cultures rather than derivative copies [A Theory of Adaptation](book://Linda Hutcheon|A Theory of Adaptation|Routledge|2006). Stam, drawing on dialogism, critiques hierarchical fidelity models and foregrounds networks of texts shaping reception and meaning [Literature through Film](book://Robert Stam|Literature through Film: Realism, Magic, and the Art of Adaptation|Blackwell|2005). Common practices include rights acquisition, scripting for medium specificity (e.g., visual narration, sound), and consideration of audience and market, with diverse outcomes from strict retellings to loose reworkings Oxford Reference; A Companion to Literature, Film, and Adaptation.
