Cooptation may also refer to the tactic of neutralizing or winning over a minority by assimilating them into the established group or culture. (see Philip Selznick, "TVA and the Grassroots" (1948?))
In Evolutionary Biology , co-optation or Exaptation describes the adaptation of an existing biological feature for a new purpose.
---Bones supporting the Gill Arch es of a Jawless Fish according to Evolutionary Theory adapted to support the lower jaw of reptiles, and later become the tiny hammer, anvil, and stirrup of the mammalian Middle Ear .
---The Haplodiploid sex determination scheme, which permits lone FemaleInsects to colonize new environments by mating with Male offspring, may contribute to the Eusociality of Ants and Bees . (see S.J. Gould 'Quick lives and quirky changes', in ''Hen's teeth and horse's toes'')
