adaptive peaks and valleys Features on a symbolic contour map that shows the adaptive value of genotypic combinations. Such a map will usually display adaptive peaks and valleys occurring at points where the adaptive value is relatively strong or weak. The population of a given species will therefore be distributed more densely at the adaptive peaks and more sparsely at the valleys.

adaptive peaks and valleys Features on a symbolic contour map that shows the adaptive value of genotypic combinations. Such a map will usually display adaptive peaks and valleys occurring at points where the adaptive value is relatively strong or weak. The population of a given species will therefore be distributed more densely at the adaptive peaks and more sparsely at the valleys.

adaptive peaks and valleys A symbolic contour map showing the Darwinian fitness or adaptive value of genotypic combinations will usually display adaptive peaks and valleys: these occur at points at which the fitness is respectively strong or weak. The distribution of the population of a given species will therefore coincide with that of the adaptive peaks.