Bioacoustics & Ecoacoustics Glossary

Exaptation

https://glossary.acousti.cloud/exaptation

en

A mechanism occurring during evolution where the function of a preexisting trait is redirected to another function (e.g., the drumming behavior of woodpeckers, originally used to find food, has become a means of emitting an acoustic communication signal for recognition within the species).

Reference: [1] Mathevon (2023), The Voices of Nature: How and Why Animals Communicate, pp. 305–308.