Viruses: Friends or foes.

Abstract

Biological evolution can be defined as the change of inherited traits over successive generations in populations. Evolution is also related to adaptation, the process by which altered organisms become better suited for survival in specific ecological habitats. Thus, the instability of the environment conditions the mechanism of adaptation, the so-called r/k strategies. ‘r’ populations are related to unpredictable environments and produce many offspring, thus have more options of mutations, whereas ‘k’ strategists live in more stable niches and have only a few descendants.