1
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Levin M. Self-Improvising Memory: A Perspective on Memories as Agential, Dynamically Reinterpreting Cognitive Glue. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 26:481. [PMID: 38920491 PMCID: PMC11203334 DOI: 10.3390/e26060481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Many studies on memory emphasize the material substrate and mechanisms by which data can be stored and reliably read out. Here, I focus on complementary aspects: the need for agents to dynamically reinterpret and modify memories to suit their ever-changing selves and environment. Using examples from developmental biology, evolution, and synthetic bioengineering, in addition to neuroscience, I propose that a perspective on memory as preserving salience, not fidelity, is applicable to many phenomena on scales from cells to societies. Continuous commitment to creative, adaptive confabulation, from the molecular to the behavioral levels, is the answer to the persistence paradox as it applies to individuals and whole lineages. I also speculate that a substrate-independent, processual view of life and mind suggests that memories, as patterns in the excitable medium of cognitive systems, could be seen as active agents in the sense-making process. I explore a view of life as a diverse set of embodied perspectives-nested agents who interpret each other's and their own past messages and actions as best as they can (polycomputation). This synthesis suggests unifying symmetries across scales and disciplines, which is of relevance to research programs in Diverse Intelligence and the engineering of novel embodied minds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Levin
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Suite 4600, Medford, MA 02155-4243, USA
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2
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Papale F, Not F, Bapteste É, Haraoui LP. The evosystem: A centerpiece for evolutionary studies. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2300169. [PMID: 38344836 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
In this paper, we redefine the target of evolutionary explanations by proposing the "evosystem" as an alternative to populations, lineages and species. Evosystems account for changes in the distribution of heritable variation within individual Darwinian populations (evolution by natural selection, drift, or constructive neutral evolution), but also for changes in the networks of interactions within or between Darwinian populations and changes in the abiotic environment (whether these changes are caused by the organic entities or not). The evosystem can thereby become a centerpiece for a redefined evolutionary science, that is, evolutionary studies, that apprehends through a single framework the variety of evolutionary processes that lie at various scales. To illustrate the importance of this broadened perspective on evolution, we use a case of antimicrobial resistance evolution: the spread of the blaNDM gene family and the related resistance to carbapenem antibiotics observed globally, and show how evolutionary studies can contribute to answering contemporary socially relevant challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Papale
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
- Faculty of Philosophy, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fabrice Not
- CNRS, Adaptation and Diversity in Marine Environment laboratory (AD2M-UMR7144), Sorbonne University, Roscoff, France
| | - Éric Bapteste
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, EPHE, Université Des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Louis-Patrick Haraoui
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
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3
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Zhang G, Ma H. Nuclear phylogenomics of angiosperms and insights into their relationships and evolution. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 66:546-578. [PMID: 38289011 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Angiosperms (flowering plants) are by far the most diverse land plant group with over 300,000 species. The sudden appearance of diverse angiosperms in the fossil record was referred to by Darwin as the "abominable mystery," hence contributing to the heightened interest in angiosperm evolution. Angiosperms display wide ranges of morphological, physiological, and ecological characters, some of which have probably influenced their species richness. The evolutionary analyses of these characteristics help to address questions of angiosperm diversification and require well resolved phylogeny. Following the great successes of phylogenetic analyses using plastid sequences, dozens to thousands of nuclear genes from next-generation sequencing have been used in angiosperm phylogenomic analyses, providing well resolved phylogenies and new insights into the evolution of angiosperms. In this review we focus on recent nuclear phylogenomic analyses of large angiosperm clades, orders, families, and subdivisions of some families and provide a summarized Nuclear Phylogenetic Tree of Angiosperm Families. The newly established nuclear phylogenetic relationships are highlighted and compared with previous phylogenetic results. The sequenced genomes of Amborella, Nymphaea, Chloranthus, Ceratophyllum, and species of monocots, Magnoliids, and basal eudicots, have facilitated the phylogenomics of relationships among five major angiosperms clades. All but one of the 64 angiosperm orders were included in nuclear phylogenomics with well resolved relationships except the placements of several orders. Most families have been included with robust and highly supported placements, especially for relationships within several large and important orders and families. Additionally, we examine the divergence time estimation and biogeographic analyses of angiosperm on the basis of the nuclear phylogenomic frameworks and discuss the differences compared with previous analyses. Furthermore, we discuss the implications of nuclear phylogenomic analyses on ancestral reconstruction of morphological, physiological, and ecological characters of angiosperm groups, limitations of current nuclear phylogenomic studies, and the taxa that require future attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guojin Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China
- Department of Biology, 510 Mueller Laboratory, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Hong Ma
- Department of Biology, 510 Mueller Laboratory, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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4
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Livnat A, Love AC. Mutation and evolution: Conceptual possibilities. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2300025. [PMID: 38254311 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202300025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Although random mutation is central to models of evolutionary change, a lack of clarity remains regarding the conceptual possibilities for thinking about the nature and role of mutation in evolution. We distinguish several claims at the intersection of mutation, evolution, and directionality and then characterize a previously unrecognized category: complex conditioned mutation. Empirical evidence in support of this category suggests that the historically famous fluctuation test should be revisited, and new experiments should be undertaken with emerging experimental techniques to facilitate detecting mutation rates within specific loci at an ultra-high, individual base pair resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Livnat
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alan C Love
- Department of Philosophy and Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota (Twin Cities), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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5
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Priklopil T, Lehmann L. On the Interpretation of the Operation of Natural Selection in Class-Structured Populations. Am Nat 2024; 203:292-304. [PMID: 38306286 DOI: 10.1086/727970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
AbstractBiological adaptation is the outcome of allele-frequency change by natural selection. At the same time, populations are usually class structured as individuals occupy different states, such as age, sex, or stage. This is known to result in the differential transmission of alleles through nonheritable fitness differences called class transmission, which also affects allele-frequency change even in the absence of selection. How does one then isolate allele-frequency change due to selection from that due to class transmission? We decompose one-generational allele-frequency change in terms of effects of selection and class transmission and show how reproductive values can be used to reach a decomposition between any two distant generations of the evolutionary process. This provides a missing relationship between multigenerational allele-frequency change and the operation of selection. It also allows a measure of fitness to be defined summarizing the effect of selection in a multigenerational evolutionary process, which connects asymptotically to invasion fitness.
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6
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Tanghe KB. Thomas S. Kuhn: key to a better understanding of the extended evolutionary synthesis. Theory Biosci 2024; 143:27-44. [PMID: 37978156 DOI: 10.1007/s12064-023-00409-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, some scholars have explicitly questioned the desirability or utility of applying the classical and "old-fashioned" theories of scientific change by the likes of Karl Popper and Thomas S. Kuhn to the question of the precise nature and significance of the extended evolutionary synthesis (EES). Supposedly, these twentieth-century philosophers are completely irrelevant for a better understanding of this new theoretical framework for the study of evolution. Here, it will be argued that the EES can be fruitfully interpreted in terms of, as yet, insufficiently considered or even overlooked elements from Kuhn's theory. First, in his original, historical philosophy of science, Kuhn not only distinguished between small and big scientific revolutions, he also pointed out that paradigms can be extended and reformulated. In contrast with what its name suggests, the mainstream EES can be interpreted as a Kuhnian reformulation of modern evolutionary theory. Second, it has, as yet, also been overlooked that the EES can be interpreted in terms of Kuhn's later, tentative evolutionary philosophy of science. With the EES, an old dichotomy in evolutionary biology is maybe being formalized and institutionalized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koen B Tanghe
- UGent, Philosophy and Moral Sciences, Blandijnberg 2, Ghent, Belgium.
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7
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Walsh DM, Rupik G. The agential perspective: Countermapping the modern synthesis. Evol Dev 2023; 25:335-352. [PMID: 37317654 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We compare and contrast two theoretical perspectives on adaptive evolution-the orthodox Modern Synthesis perspective, and the nascent Agential Perspective. To do so, we develop the idea from Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther of a 'countermap', as a means for comparing the respective ontologies of different scientific perspectives. We conclude that the modern Synthesis perspective achieves an impressively comprehensive view of a universal set of dynamical properties of populations, but at the considerable cost of radically distorting the nature of the biological processes that contribute to evolution. For its part, the Agential Perspective offers the prospect of representing the biological processes of evolution with much greater fidelity, but at the expense of generality. Trade-offs of this sort are endemic to science, and inevitable. Recognizing them helps us to avoid the pitfalls of 'illicit reification', i.e. the mistake of interpreting a feature of a scientific perspective as a feature of the non-perspectival world. We argue that much of the traditional Modern Synthesis representation of the biology of evolution commits this illicit reification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis M Walsh
- Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gregory Rupik
- Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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8
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Terletskaya NV, Khapilina ON, Turzhanova AS, Erbay M, Magzumova S, Mamirova A. Genetic Polymorphism in the Amaranthaceae Species in the Context of Stress Tolerance. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3470. [PMID: 37836210 PMCID: PMC10575142 DOI: 10.3390/plants12193470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
The adaptive potential and biochemical properties of the Amaranthaceae species make them promising for introduction into agriculture and markets, particularly in arid conditions. Molecular genetic polymorphism analysis is the most powerful tool for studying plant resources; therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the polymorphisms of allelic variations in the ARF and SOD gene families, as well as the genetic diversity of six Amaranthaceae species, using retrotransposon-based fingerprinting with the multi-locus EPIC-PCR profiling approach. Additionally, the iPBS PCR amplification was employed for genome profiling, revealing variations in genetic diversity among the studied Amaranthaceae samples. The observed genetic diversity in Amaranthaceae species contributes to their enhanced tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. The knowledge about the genetic diversity of genes crucial in plant development and stress resistance can be useful for the genetic improvement of cultivated Amaranthaceae species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina V. Terletskaya
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi 71, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan;
- Institute of Genetic and Physiology, Al-Farabi 93, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan;
| | - Oxana N. Khapilina
- National Center for Biotechnology, Qorghalzhyn 13, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan; (A.S.T.); (S.M.)
| | - Ainur S. Turzhanova
- National Center for Biotechnology, Qorghalzhyn 13, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan; (A.S.T.); (S.M.)
| | - Malika Erbay
- Institute of Genetic and Physiology, Al-Farabi 93, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan;
| | - Saule Magzumova
- National Center for Biotechnology, Qorghalzhyn 13, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan; (A.S.T.); (S.M.)
| | - Aigerim Mamirova
- Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Al-Farabi 71, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan;
- Institute of Genetic and Physiology, Al-Farabi 93, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan;
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9
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Feigin C, Li S, Moreno J, Mallarino R. The GRN concept as a guide for evolutionary developmental biology. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2023; 340:92-104. [PMID: 35344632 PMCID: PMC9515236 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Organismal phenotypes result largely from inherited developmental programs, usually executed during embryonic and juvenile life stages. These programs are not blank slates onto which natural selection can draw arbitrary forms. Rather, the mechanisms of development play an integral role in shaping phenotypic diversity and help determine the evolutionary trajectories of species. Modern evolutionary biology must, therefore, account for these mechanisms in both theory and in practice. The gene regulatory network (GRN) concept represents a potent tool for achieving this goal whose utility has grown in tandem with advances in "omic" technologies and experimental techniques. However, while the GRN concept is widely utilized, it is often less clear what practical implications it has for conducting research in evolutionary developmental biology. In this Perspective, we attempt to provide clarity by discussing how experiments and projects can be designed in light of the GRN concept. We first map familiar biological notions onto the more abstract components of GRN models. We then review how diverse functional genomic approaches can be directed toward the goal of constructing such models and discuss current methods for functionally testing evolutionary hypotheses that arise from them. Finally, we show how the major steps of GRN model construction and experimental validation suggest generalizable workflows that can serve as a scaffold for project design. Taken together, the practical implications that we draw from the GRN concept provide a set of guideposts for studies aiming at unraveling the molecular basis of phenotypic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Feigin
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA,School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sha Li
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jorge Moreno
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ricardo Mallarino
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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10
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de Souza Silva CC, Cirne D, Freitas O, Campos PRA. Phenotypic evolution as an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process: The effect of environmental variation and phenotypic plasticity. Phys Rev E 2023; 107:024417. [PMID: 36932534 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.107.024417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
Here we investigate phenotypic evolution from the perspective of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process. Evolutionarily speaking, the model assumes the existence of stabilizing selection toward a phenotypic optimum. The standard (OU) model is modified to include environmental variation by taking a moving phenotypic optimum and endowing organisms with phenotypic plasticity. These two processes lead to an effective fitness landscape, which deforms the original. We observe that the simultaneous occurrence of environmental variation and phenotypic plasticity leads to skewed phenotypic distributions. The skewness of the resulting phenotypic distributions strongly depends on the rate of environmental variation and strength of selection. When generalized to more than one trait, the phenotypic distributions are not only affected by the magnitude of the rate of environmental variation but also by its direction. A remarkable feature of our predictions is the existence of an upper bound for the critical rate of environmental variation to allow population persistence, even if there is no cost associated with phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Diego Cirne
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-560 Recife-PE, Brazil
| | - Osmar Freitas
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-560 Recife-PE, Brazil
| | - Paulo R A Campos
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-560 Recife-PE, Brazil
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11
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Edelaar P, Otsuka J, Luque VJ. A generalised approach to the study and understanding of adaptive evolution. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:352-375. [PMID: 36223883 PMCID: PMC10091731 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary theory has made large impacts on our understanding and management of the world, in part because it has been able to incorporate new data and new insights successfully. Nonetheless, there is currently a tension between certain biological phenomena and mainstream evolutionary theory. For example, how does the inheritance of molecular epigenetic changes fit into mainstream evolutionary theory? Is niche construction an evolutionary process? Is local adaptation via habitat choice also adaptive evolution? These examples suggest there is scope (and perhaps even a need) to broaden our views on evolution. We identify three aspects whose incorporation into a single framework would enable a more generalised approach to the understanding and study of adaptive evolution: (i) a broadened view of extended phenotypes; (ii) that traits can respond to each other; and (iii) that inheritance can be non-genetic. We use causal modelling to integrate these three aspects with established views on the variables and mechanisms that drive and allow for adaptive evolution. Our causal model identifies natural selection and non-genetic inheritance of adaptive parental responses as two complementary yet distinct and independent drivers of adaptive evolution. Both drivers are compatible with the Price equation; specifically, non-genetic inheritance of parental responses is captured by an often-neglected component of the Price equation. Our causal model is general and simplified, but can be adjusted flexibly in terms of variables and causal connections, depending on the research question and/or biological system. By revisiting the three examples given above, we show how to use it as a heuristic tool to clarify conceptual issues and to help design empirical research. In contrast to a gene-centric view defining evolution only in terms of genetic change, our generalised approach allows us to see evolution as a change in the whole causal structure, consisting not just of genetic but also of phenotypic and environmental variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pim Edelaar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical Engineering, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera Utrera km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain.,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Thunbergsvägen 2, SE-75238, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jun Otsuka
- Department of Philosophy, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Hommachi, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.,RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Tokyo, 103-0027, Japan
| | - Victor J Luque
- Department of Philosophy, University of Valencia, Av. de Blasco Ibáñez, 30, 46010, València, Spain
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12
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Mallatt J. Vertebrate origins are informed by larval lampreys (ammocoetes): a response to Miyashita et al., 2021. Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
This paper addresses a recent claim by Miyashita and co-authors that the filter-feeding larval lamprey is a new evolutionary addition to the lamprey life-cycle and does not provide information about early vertebrates, in contrast to the traditional view that this ammocoete stage resembles the first vertebrates. The evidence behind this revolutionary claim comes from fossil lampreys from 360–306 Mya that include young stages – even yolk-sac hatchlings – with adult (predacious) feeding structures. However, the traditional view is not so easily dismissed. The phylogeny on which the non-ammocoete theory is based was not tested in a statistically meaningful way. Additionally, the target article did not consider the known evidence for the traditional view, namely that the complex filter-feeding structures are highly similar in ammocoetes and the invertebrate chordates, amphioxus and tunicates. In further support of the traditional view, I show that ammocoetes are helpful for reconstructing the first vertebrates and the jawless, fossil stem gnathostomes called ostracoderms – their pharynx, oral cavity, mouth opening, lips and filter-feeding mode (but, ironically, not their mandibular/jaw region). From these considerations, I offer a scenario for the evolution of vertebrate life-cycles that fits the traditional, ammocoete-informed theory and puts filter feeding at centre stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Mallatt
- The University of Washington WWAMI Medical Education Program at The University of Idaho , Moscow, Idaho 83843 , USA
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13
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Fraimout A, Päiviö E, Merilä J. Relaxed risk of predation drives parallel evolution of stickleback behavior. Evolution 2022; 76:2712-2723. [PMID: 36117280 PMCID: PMC9827860 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence of similar phenotypes in multiple independent populations derived from common ancestral conditions (viz. parallel evolution) is a testimony of evolution by natural selection. Parallel evolution implies that populations share a common phenotypic response to a common selection pressure associated with habitat similarity. Examples of parallel evolution at genetic and phenotypic levels are fairly common, but the driving selective agents often remain elusive. Similarly, the role of phenotypic plasticity in facilitating early stages of parallel evolution is unclear. We investigated whether the relaxation of predation pressure associated with the colonization of freshwater ponds by nine-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) likely explains the divergence in complex behaviors between marine and pond populations, and whether this divergence is parallel. Using laboratory-raised individuals exposed to different levels of perceived predation risk, we calculated vectors of phenotypic divergence for four behavioral traits between habitats and predation risk treatments. We found a significant correlation between the directions of evolutionary divergence and phenotypic plasticity, suggesting that divergence in behavior between habitats is aligned with the response to relaxation of predation pressure. Finally, we show alignment across multiple pairs of populations, and that relaxation of predation pressure has likely driven parallel evolution of behavior in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Fraimout
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinki00014Finland,Area of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Biological SciencesThe University of Hong KongHong Kong SAR
| | - Elisa Päiviö
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinki00014Finland
| | - Juha Merilä
- Ecological Genetics Research Unit, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinki00014Finland,Area of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Biological SciencesThe University of Hong KongHong Kong SAR
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14
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Butts T. Evolution: The Origins and Mechanisms of Diversity. J Anat 2022; 243:182-183. [PMID: 36053544 PMCID: PMC10273327 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Butts
- School of Medicine, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, UK
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15
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Multivariate selection and the making and breaking of mutational pleiotropy. Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10195-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe role of mutations have been subject to many controversies since the formation of the Modern Synthesis of evolution in the early 1940ties. Geneticists in the early half of the twentieth century tended to view mutations as a limiting factor in evolutionary change. In contrast, natural selection was largely viewed as a “sieve” whose main role was to sort out the unfit but which could not create anything novel alone. This view gradually changed with the development of mathematical population genetics theory, increased appreciation of standing genetic variation and the discovery of more complex forms of selection, including balancing selection. Short-term evolutionary responses to selection are mainly influenced by standing genetic variation, and are predictable to some degree using information about the genetic variance–covariance matrix (G) and the strength and form of selection (e. g. the vector of selection gradients, β). However, predicting long-term evolution is more challenging, and requires information about the nature and supply of novel mutations, summarized by the mutational variance–covariance matrix (M). Recently, there has been increased attention to the role of mutations in general and M in particular. Some evolutionary biologists argue that evolution is largely mutation-driven and claim that mutation bias frequently results in mutation-biased adaptation. Strong similarities between G and M have also raised questions about the non-randomness of mutations. Moreover, novel mutations are typically not isotropic in their phenotypic effects and mutational pleiotropy is common. Here I discuss the evolutionary origin and consequences of mutational pleiotropy and how multivariate selection directly shapes G and indirectly M through changed epistatic relationships. I illustrate these ideas by reviewing recent literature and models about correlational selection, evolution of G and M, sexual selection and the fitness consequences of sexual antagonism.
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16
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Structuralism and Adaptationism: Friends? Or foes? Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 145:13-21. [PMID: 35277332 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Historically, the empirical study of phenotypic diversification has fallen into two rough camps; (1) "structuralist approaches" focusing on developmental constraint, bias, and innovation (with evo-devo at the core); and (2) "adaptationist approaches" focusing on adaptation, and natural selection. Whilst debates, such as that surrounding the proposed "Extended" Evolutionary Synthesis, often juxtapose these two positions, this review focuses on the grey space in between. Specifically, here I present a novel analysis of structuralism which enables us to take a more nuanced look at the motivations behind the structuralist and adaptationist positions. This makes clear how the two approaches can conflict, and points of potential commensurability. The review clarifies (a) the value of the evo-devo approach to phenotypic diversity, but also (b) how it properly relates to other predominant approaches to the same issues in evolutionary biology more broadly.
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17
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Whiteman NK. Evolution in small steps and giant leaps. Evolution 2022; 76:67-77. [PMID: 35040122 PMCID: PMC9387839 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The first Editor of Evolution was Ernst Mayr. His foreword to the first issue of Evolution published in 1947 framed evolution as a "problem of interaction" that was just beginning to be studied in this broad context. First, I explore progress and prospects on understanding the subsidiary interactions identified by Mayr, including interactions between parts of organisms, between individuals and populations, between species, and between the organism and its abiotic environment. Mayr's overall "problem of interaction" framework is examined in the context of coevolution within and among levels of biological organization. This leads to a comparison in the relative roles of biotic versus abiotic agents of selection and fluctuating versus directional selection, followed by stabilizing selection in shaping the genomic architecture of adaptation. Oligogenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by fluctuating selection and biotic selection. Conversely, polygenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by directional followed by stabilizing selection and abiotic selection. The distribution of effect sizes and turnover dynamics of adaptive alleles in these scenarios deserves further study. Second, I review two case studies on the evolution of acquired toxicity in animals, one involving cardiac glycosides obtained from plants and one involving bacterial virulence factors horizontally transferred to animals. The approaches used in these studies and the results gained directly flow from Mayr's vision of an evolutionary biology that revolves around the "problem of interaction."
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah K. Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720,
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18
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Nine Levels of Explanation : A Proposed Expansion of Tinbergen's Four-Level Framework for Understanding the Causes of Behavior. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:748-793. [PMID: 34739657 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09414-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Tinbergen's classic "On Aims and Methods of Ethology" (Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 20, 1963) proposed four levels of explanation of behavior, which he thought would soon apply to humans. This paper discusses the need for multilevel explanation; Huxley and Mayr's prior models, and others that followed; Tinbergen's differences with Lorenz on "the innate"; and Mayr's ultimate/proximate distinction. It synthesizes these approaches with nine levels of explanation in three categories: phylogeny, natural selection, and genomics (ultimate causes); maturation, sensitive period effects, and routine environmental effects (intermediate causes); and hormonal/metabolic processes, neural circuitry, and eliciting stimuli (proximate causes), as a respectful extension of Tinbergen's levels. The proposed classification supports and builds on Tinbergen's multilevel model and Mayr's ultimate/proximate continuum, adding intermediate causes in accord with Tinbergen's emphasis on ontogeny. It requires no modification of Standard Evolutionary Theory or The Modern Synthesis, but shows that much that critics claim was missing was in fact part of Neo-Darwinian theory (so named by J. Mark Baldwin in The American Naturalist in 1896) all along, notably reciprocal causation in ontogeny, niche construction, cultural evolution, and multilevel selection. Updates of classical examples in ethology are offered at each of the nine levels, including the neuroethological and genomic findings Tinbergen foresaw. Finally, human examples are supplied at each level, fulfilling his hope of human applications as part of the biology of behavior. This broad ethological framework empowers us to explain human behavior-eventually completely-and vindicates the idea of human nature, and of humans as a part of nature.
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19
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Wcislo WT. A Dual Role for Behavior in Evolution and Shaping Organismal Selective Environments. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND SYSTEMATICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012921-052523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The hypothesis that evolved behaviors play a determining role in facilitating and impeding the evolution of other traits has been discussed for more than 100 years with little consensus beyond an agreement that the ideas are theoretically plausible in accord with the Modern Synthesis. Many recent reviews of the genomic, epigenetic, and developmental mechanisms underpinning major behavioral transitions show how facultative expression of novel behaviors can lead to the evolution of obligate behaviors and structures that enhance behavioral function. Phylogenetic and genomic studies indicate that behavioral traits are generally evolutionarily more labile than other traits and that they help shape selective environments on the latter traits. Adaptive decision-making to encounter resources and avoid stress sources requires specific sensory inputs, which behaviorally shape selective environments by determining those features of the external world that are biologically relevant. These recent findings support the hypothesis of a dual role for behavior in evolution and are consistent with current evolutionary theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- William T. Wcislo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Republic of Panama
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20
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Hancock ZB, Lehmberg ES, Bradburd GS. Neo-darwinism still haunts evolutionary theory: A modern perspective on Charlesworth, Lande, and Slatkin (1982). Evolution 2021; 75:1244-1255. [PMID: 33999415 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The Modern Synthesis (or "Neo-Darwinism"), which arose out of the reconciliation of Darwin's theory of natural selection and Mendel's research on genetics, remains the foundation of evolutionary theory. However, since its inception, it has been a lightning rod for criticism, which has ranged from minor quibbles to complete dismissal. Among the most famous of the critics was Stephen Jay Gould, who, in 1980, proclaimed that the Modern Synthesis was "effectively dead." Gould and others claimed that the action of natural selection on random mutations was insufficient on its own to explain patterns of macroevolutionary diversity and divergence, and that new processes were required to explain findings from the fossil record. In 1982, Charlesworth, Lande, and Slatkin published a response to this critique in Evolution, in which they argued that Neo-Darwinism was indeed sufficient to explain macroevolutionary patterns. In this Perspective for the 75th Anniversary of the Society for the Study of Evolution, we review Charlesworth et al. in its historical context and provide modern support for their arguments. We emphasize the importance of microevolutionary processes in the study of macroevolutionary patterns. Ultimately, we conclude that punctuated equilibrium did not represent a major revolution in evolutionary biology - although debate on this point stimulated significant research and furthered the field - and that Neo-Darwinism is alive and well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary B Hancock
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Emma S Lehmberg
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Interdisciplinary Program, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Gideon S Bradburd
- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.,Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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21
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Munch SB, Lee WS, Walsh M, Hurst T, Wasserman BA, Mangel M, Salinas S. A latitudinal gradient in thermal transgenerational plasticity and a test of theory. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210797. [PMID: 33975479 PMCID: PMC8113894 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transgenerational plasticity (TGP) occurs when phenotypes are shaped by the environment in both the current and preceding generations. Transgenerational responses to rainfall, CO2 and temperature suggest that TGP may play an important role in how species cope with climate change. However, little is known about how TGP will evolve as climate change continues. Here, we provide a quantitative test of the hypothesis that the predictability of the environment influences the magnitude of the transgenerational response. To do so, we take advantage of the latitudinal decrease in the predictability of temperatures in near shore waters along the US East Coast. Using sheepshead minnows (Cyprinodon variegatus) from South Carolina, Maryland, and Connecticut, we found the first evidence for a latitudinal gradient in thermal TGP. Moreover, the degree of TGP in these populations depends linearly on the decorrelation time for temperature, providing support for the hypothesis that thermal predictability drives the evolution of these traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan B. Munch
- Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 110 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Who Seung Lee
- Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 110 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Matthew Walsh
- Department of Biology, University of Texas Arlington, 501 S Nedderman Drive, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Thomas Hurst
- Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2030 S. Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Ben A. Wasserman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Marc Mangel
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Institute of Marine Sciences and Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Santiago Salinas
- Department of Biology, Kalamazoo College, 1200 Academy Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49006, USA
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22
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Miller WB, Enguita FJ, Leitão AL. Non-Random Genome Editing and Natural Cellular Engineering in Cognition-Based Evolution. Cells 2021; 10:1125. [PMID: 34066959 PMCID: PMC8148535 DOI: 10.3390/cells10051125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neo-Darwinism presumes that biological variation is a product of random genetic replication errors and natural selection. Cognition-Based Evolution (CBE) asserts a comprehensive alternative approach to phenotypic variation and the generation of biological novelty. In CBE, evolutionary variation is the product of natural cellular engineering that permits purposive genetic adjustments as cellular problem-solving. CBE upholds that the cornerstone of biology is the intelligent measuring cell. Since all biological information that is available to cells is ambiguous, multicellularity arises from the cellular requirement to maximize the validity of available environmental information. This is best accomplished through collective measurement purposed towards maintaining and optimizing individual cellular states of homeorhesis as dynamic flux that sustains cellular equipoise. The collective action of the multicellular measurement and assessment of information and its collaborative communication is natural cellular engineering. Its yield is linked cellular ecologies and mutualized niche constructions that comprise biofilms and holobionts. In this context, biological variation is the product of collective differential assessment of ambiguous environmental cues by networking intelligent cells. Such concerted action is enabled by non-random natural genomic editing in response to epigenetic impacts and environmental stresses. Random genetic activity can be either constrained or deployed as a 'harnessing of stochasticity'. Therefore, genes are cellular tools. Selection filters cellular solutions to environmental stresses to assure continuous cellular-organismal-environmental complementarity. Since all multicellular eukaryotes are holobionts as vast assemblages of participants of each of the three cellular domains (Prokaryota, Archaea, Eukaryota) and the virome, multicellular variation is necessarily a product of co-engineering among them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francisco J. Enguita
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - Ana Lúcia Leitão
- MEtRICs, Department of Sciences and Technology of Biomass, NOVA School of Science and Technology, FCT NOVA, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal;
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23
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Abstract
This review essay reflects on recent discussions in evolutionary biology and philosophy of science on the central causes of evolution and the structure of causal explanations in evolutionary theory. In this debate, it has been argued that our view of evolutionary causation should be rethought by including more seriously developmental causes and causes of the individual acting organism. I use Tobias Uller's and Kevin Laland's volume Evolutionary Causation as well as recent reviews of it as a starting point to reflect on the causal role of agency, individuality, and the environment in evolution. In addition, I critically discuss classical philosophical frameworks of theory change (i.e. Popper's, Kuhn's and Lakatos') used in this debate to understand changing views of evolutionary causation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Baedke
- Department of Philosophy I, Ruhr University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
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24
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Ready E, Price MH. Human behavioral ecology and niche construction. Evol Anthropol 2021; 30:71-83. [PMID: 33555109 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We examine the relationship between niche construction theory (NCT) and human behavioral ecology (HBE), two branches of evolutionary science that are important sources of theory in archeology. We distinguish between formal models of niche construction as an evolutionary process, and uses of niche construction to refer to a kind of human behavior. Formal models from NCT examine how environmental modification can change the selection pressures that organisms face. In contrast, formal models from HBE predict behavior assuming people behave adaptively in their local setting, and can be used to predict when and why people engage in niche construction. We emphasize that HBE as a field is much broader than foraging theory and can incorporate social and cultural influences on decision-making. We demonstrate how these approaches can be formally incorporated in a multi-inheritance framework for evolutionary research, and argue that archeologists can best contribute to evolutionary theory by building and testing models that flexibly incorporate HBE and NCT elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elspeth Ready
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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25
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Mertens D, Boege K, Kessler A, Koricheva J, Thaler JS, Whiteman NK, Poelman EH. Predictability of Biotic Stress Structures Plant Defence Evolution. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:444-456. [PMID: 33468354 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
To achieve ecological and reproductive success, plants need to mitigate a multitude of stressors. The stressors encountered by plants are highly dynamic but typically vary predictably due to seasonality or correlations among stressors. As plants face physiological and ecological constraints in responses to stress, it can be beneficial for plants to evolve the ability to incorporate predictable patterns of stress in their life histories. Here, we discuss how plants predict adverse conditions, which plant strategies integrate predictability of biotic stress, and how such strategies can evolve. We propose that plants commonly optimise responses to correlated sequences or combinations of herbivores and pathogens, and that the predictability of these patterns is a key factor governing plant strategies in dynamic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daan Mertens
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Karina Boege
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Apartado Postal 70-275, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - André Kessler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Julia Koricheva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | | | - Noah K Whiteman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Erik H Poelman
- Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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26
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Haensel JX, Ishikawa M, Itakura S, Smith TJ, Senju A. Cultural influences on face scanning are consistent across infancy and adulthood. Infant Behav Dev 2020; 61:101503. [PMID: 33190091 PMCID: PMC7768814 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2020.101503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of cultural differences in face scanning is thought to be shaped by social experience. However, previous studies mainly investigated eye movements of adults and little is known about early development. The current study recorded eye movements of British and Japanese infants (aged 10 and 16 months) and adults, who were presented with static and dynamic faces on screen. Cultural differences were observed across all age groups, with British participants exhibiting more mouth scanning, and Japanese individuals showing increased central face (nose) scanning for dynamic stimuli. Age-related influences independent of culture were also revealed, with a shift from eye to mouth scanning between 10 and 16 months, while adults distributed their gaze more flexibly. Against our prediction, no age-related increases in cultural differences were observed, suggesting the possibility that cultural differences are largely manifest by 10 months of age. Overall, the findings suggest that individuals adopt visual strategies in line with their cultural background from early in infancy, pointing to the development of a highly adaptive face processing system that is shaped by early sociocultural experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer X Haensel
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom.
| | - Mitsuhiko Ishikawa
- Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Shoji Itakura
- Center for Baby Science, Doshisha University, 4-1-1 Kizugawadai, Kizugawa, Kyoto, 619-0225, Japan
| | - Tim J Smith
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
| | - Atsushi Senju
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom
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27
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Abstract
Since its appearance, Evolutionary Developmental Biology (EvoDevo) has been called an emerging research program, a new paradigm, a new interdisciplinary field, or even a revolution. Behind these formulas, there is the awareness that something is changing in biology. EvoDevo is characterized by a variety of accounts and by an expanding theoretical framework. From an epistemological point of view, what is the relationship between EvoDevo and previous biological tradition? Is EvoDevo the carrier of a new message about how to conceive evolution and development? Furthermore, is it necessary to rethink the way we look at both of these processes? EvoDevo represents the attempt to synthesize two logics, that of evolution and that of development, and the way we conceive one affects the other. This synthesis is far from being fulfilled, but an adequate theory of development may represent a further step towards this achievement. In this article, an epistemological analysis of EvoDevo is presented, with particular attention paid to the relations to the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) and the Standard Evolutionary Synthesis (SET).
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28
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Fuentes A. Biological anthropology's critical engagement with genomics, evolution, race/racism, and ourselves: Opportunities and challenges to making a difference in the academy and the world. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 175:326-338. [PMID: 33098091 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Biological anthropology can, and should, matter in the Anthropocene. Biological anthropologists are interested in human biology and the human experience in a broader ecological, evolutionary, and phylogenetic context. We are interested in the material of the body, the history of the body, and interactions of diverse bodies, communities, ecologies, and evolutionary processes. However, the cultural realities of bodies, histories, communities, livelihoods, perceptions, and experiences are as central to the endeavor and inquiry of biological anthropology as are their material aspects. Biological anthropology is a constant dialectic between the cultural and the biological. In this essay, I argue that Biological Anthropology has much to offer, a history to contend with, and a future that matters. To illustrate this, I highlight theoretical and methodological issues in genomics, evolutionary theory and connect them to the study of Race and Racism to emphasize specific arenas where Biological Anthropology has a great capacity, and a strong obligation, to play a central role. However, Biological Anthropology also has substantive internal issues that hinder our ability to do the best possible science. If we are to live up to our potential and make a difference in the 21st century we need to ameliorate our structural shortcomings and expand our voice, and impact, in academic and public discourse. The goal of this perspective is to offer suggestions for moving us toward this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Fuentes
- Department of Anthropology, 123 Aaron Burr Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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29
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Miller WB, Baluška F, Torday JS. Cellular senomic measurements in Cognition-Based Evolution. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 156:20-33. [PMID: 32738355 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2020.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
All living entities are cognitive and dependent on ambiguous information. Any assessment of that imprecision is necessarily a measuring function. Individual cells measure information to sustain self-referential homeostatic equipoise (self-identity) in juxtaposition to the external environment. The validity of that information is improved by its collective assessment. The reception of cellular information obliges thermodynamic reactions that initiate a self-reinforcing work channel. This expresses as natural cellular engineering and niche constructions which become the complex interrelated tissue ecologies of holobionts. Multicellularity is collaborative cellular information management directed towards the optimization of information quality through its collective measured assessment. Biology and its evolution can now be re-framed as the continuous process of self-referential cellular measurement in the perpetual defense of individual cellular self-identities through the collective form.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - John S Torday
- Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, USA.
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30
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Murray JK, Benitez RA, O'Brien MJ. The extended evolutionary synthesis and human origins: Archaeological perspectives. Evol Anthropol 2020; 30:4-7. [PMID: 32574411 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Recent developments in evolutionary biology have led to a call for an extension of standard evolutionary theory, with its emphasis on processes such as selection and drift, into a much larger theoretical framework that includes processes such as niche construction, developmental plasticity, inclusive inheritance, and developmental bias. Skeptics argue that these processes are already subsumed within the standard theory and thus an extension is not required. Here, we outline what this evolutionary "rethink" might mean for the study of human origins. Specifically, can paleoanthropologists benefit from an extended theoretical toolkit? The papers in this special issue suggest it can be useful but may not be necessary, depending on the kinds of questions that are being asked.
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Affiliation(s)
- John K Murray
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | | | - Michael J O'Brien
- Department of Communication, History, and Philosophy, Texas A&M-San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
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31
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Quasi-religious Belief in Darwin and Darwinism: “Straw-Men” Scientist Believers Everywhere. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40610-020-00127-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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32
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik I Svensson
- Evolutionary Ecology Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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33
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Olson ME. Plant Evolutionary Ecology in the Age of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 59:493-502. [PMID: 31106813 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant ecology is increasingly turning to evolutionary questions, just as evolutionary biology pushes out of the strictures of the Modern Synthesis into what some regard as an "Extended Evolutionary Synthesis." As plant ecology becomes increasingly evolutionary, it is essential to ask how aspects of the Extended Synthesis might impinge on plant ecological theory and practice. I examine the contribution of plant evolutionary ecology to niche construction theory, as well as the potential for developmental systems theory and genes-as-followers adaptive evolution, all important post-Modern Synthesis themes, in providing novel perspectives for plant evolutionary ecology. I also examine ways that overcoming dichotomies such as "genetic vs. plastic" and "constraint vs. adaptation" provide fertile opportunities for plant evolutionary ecologists. Along the same lines, outgrowing vague concepts such as "stress" and replacing them with more precise terminology in all cases provides vastly increased causal clarity. As a result, the synthetic path that plant ecologists are blazing, becoming more evolutionary every year, bodes extremely well for the field, with vast potential for expansion into important scientific territory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Olson
- Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tercer Circuito de CU s/n, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
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34
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Love AC. Evolution evolving? Reflections on big questions. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2019; 332:315-320. [PMID: 31613422 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
John Bonner managed a long and productive career that balanced specialized inquiry into cellular slime molds with general investigations of big questions in evolutionary biology, such as the origins of multicellular development and the evolution of complexity. This commentary engages with his final paper ("The evolution of evolution"), which argues that the evolutionary process has changed through the history of life. In particular, Bonner emphasizes the possibility that natural selection plays different roles at different size scales. I identify some underlying assumptions in his argument and evaluate its cogency to both foster future discussion and emulate the intellectual example set by Bonner over a lifetime. This endeavor is important beyond Bonner's own theoretical disposition because similar issues are visible in controversies about the possibility of an extended evolutionary synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan C Love
- Department of Philosophy & Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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35
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Masier S, Bonte D. Spatial connectedness imposes local‐ and metapopulation‐level selection on life history through feedbacks on demography. Ecol Lett 2019; 23:242-253. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Masier
- Department of Biology Terrestrial Ecology Unit Ghent University K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35 9000 Ghent Belgium
| | - Dries Bonte
- Department of Biology Terrestrial Ecology Unit Ghent University K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35 9000 Ghent Belgium
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36
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The Role of Mutation Bias in Adaptive Evolution. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:422-434. [PMID: 31003616 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mutational input is the ultimate source of genetic variation, but mutations are not thought to affect the direction of adaptive evolution. Recently, critics of standard evolutionary theory have questioned the random and non-directional nature of mutations, claiming that the mutational process can be adaptive in its own right. We discuss here mutation bias in adaptive evolution. We find little support for mutation bias as an independent force in adaptive evolution, although it can interact with selection under conditions of small population size and when standing genetic variation is limited, entirely consistent with standard evolutionary theory. We further emphasize that natural selection can shape the phenotypic effects of mutations, giving the false impression that directed mutations are driving adaptive evolution.
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37
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Uller T, Feiner N, Radersma R, Jackson ISC, Rago A. Developmental plasticity and evolutionary explanations. Evol Dev 2019; 22:47-55. [PMID: 31535438 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity looks like a promising bridge between ecological and developmental perspectives on evolution. Yet, there is no consensus on whether plasticity is part of the explanation for adaptive evolution or an optional "add-on" to genes and natural selection. Here, we suggest that these differences in opinion are caused by differences in the simplifying assumptions, and particular idealizations, that enable evolutionary explanation. We outline why idealizations designed to explain evolution through natural selection prevent an understanding of the role of development, and vice versa. We show that representing plasticity as a reaction norm conforms with the idealizations of selective explanations, which can give the false impression that plasticity has no explanatory power for adaptive evolution. Finally, we use examples to illustrate why evolutionary explanations that include developmental plasticity may in fact be more satisfactory than explanations that solely refer to genes and natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Alfredo Rago
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Institute for Life Sciences/Department of Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
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38
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39
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Lafuente E, Beldade P. Genomics of Developmental Plasticity in Animals. Front Genet 2019; 10:720. [PMID: 31481970 PMCID: PMC6709652 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental plasticity refers to the property by which the same genotype produces distinct phenotypes depending on the environmental conditions under which development takes place. By allowing organisms to produce phenotypes adjusted to the conditions that adults will experience, developmental plasticity can provide the means to cope with environmental heterogeneity. Developmental plasticity can be adaptive and its evolution can be shaped by natural selection. It has also been suggested that developmental plasticity can facilitate adaptation and promote diversification. Here, we summarize current knowledge on the evolution of plasticity and on the impact of plasticity on adaptive evolution, and we identify recent advances and important open questions about the genomics of developmental plasticity in animals. We give special attention to studies using transcriptomics to identify genes whose expression changes across developmental environments and studies using genetic mapping to identify loci that contribute to variation in plasticity and can fuel its evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrícia Beldade
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Oeiras, Portugal
- CNRS-UMR5174, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Changes, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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40
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Harmon LJ, Andreazzi CS, Débarre F, Drury J, Goldberg EE, Martins AB, Melián CJ, Narwani A, Nuismer SL, Pennell MW, Rudman SM, Seehausen O, Silvestro D, Weber M, Matthews B. Detecting the macroevolutionary signal of species interactions. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:769-782. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Luke J. Harmon
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry Eawag Kastanienbaum Switzerland
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho
| | | | - Florence Débarre
- Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, IRD, INRA, Université Paris Diderot, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (UMR7618) Paris France
| | | | - Emma E. Goldberg
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior University of Minnesota Saint Paul Minnesota
| | - Ayana B. Martins
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry Eawag Kastanienbaum Switzerland
- Instituto de Física ‘Gleb Wataghin’ Universidade Estadual de Campinas Campinas Brazil
| | - Carlos J. Melián
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry Eawag Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Anita Narwani
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology Eawag Dübendorf Switzerland
| | - Scott L. Nuismer
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho
| | - Matthew W. Pennell
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia
| | - Seth M. Rudman
- Department of Biology University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania
| | - Ole Seehausen
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry Eawag Kastanienbaum Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Daniele Silvestro
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences Global Gothenburg Biodiversity Centre University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Marjorie Weber
- Department of Plant Biology & Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan
| | - Blake Matthews
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry Eawag Kastanienbaum Switzerland
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
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41
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Wood D, Lenné JM. A natural adaptive syndrome as a model for the origins of cereal agriculture. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2018.0277. [PMID: 29563270 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel explanation of the origin of cereal agriculture is proposed, based on the ecology and adaptive morphology of wild cereals ancestral to our founder cereals (einkorn, emmer and barley). Wild cereals are unusually large-seeded. A natural evolutionary-ecological syndrome relates large seed, awns and monodominance (LAM). Awns bury attached seeds in the soil, protecting seed from fire; buried seed needs to be large to emerge on germination; large seeds, growing without competition from small-seeded plants, will produce monodominant vegetation. Climatic and edaphic instability at the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary would have provided an impetus for the spread of annual ruderal grasses. LAM grassland provided an obvious natural model for the origins of cereal agriculture. Subsequent field management would mimic the natural niche (MNN). The fact that monodominance is a long-standing character of the natural LAM syndrome validates cereal monocultures (now producing most of our food). An alternative explanation of crop domestication, by auditioning a great range of species for a human-constructed niche (NCT), is rejected.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Wood
- North Oldmoss Croft, Fyvie, Turriff, Aberdeenshire AB53 8NA, UK
| | - Jillian M Lenné
- North Oldmoss Croft, Fyvie, Turriff, Aberdeenshire AB53 8NA, UK
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42
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Johnson JS, Cantrell RS, Cosner C, Hartig F, Hastings A, Rogers HS, Schupp EW, Shea K, Teller BJ, Yu X, Zurell D, Pufal G. Rapid changes in seed dispersal traits may modify plant responses to global change. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz020. [PMID: 31198528 PMCID: PMC6548345 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
When climatic or environmental conditions change, plant populations must either adapt to these new conditions, or track their niche via seed dispersal. Adaptation of plants to different abiotic environments has mostly been discussed with respect to physiological and demographic parameters that allow local persistence. However, rapid modifications in response to changing environmental conditions can also affect seed dispersal, both via plant traits and via their dispersal agents. Studying such changes empirically is challenging, due to the high variability in dispersal success, resulting from environmental heterogeneity, and substantial phenotypic variability of dispersal-related traits of seeds and their dispersers. The exact mechanisms that drive rapid changes are often not well understood, but the ecological implications of these processes are essential determinants of dispersal success, and deserve more attention from ecologists, especially in the context of adaptation to global change. We outline the evidence for rapid changes in seed dispersal traits by discussing variability due to plasticity or genetics broadly, and describe the specific traits and biological systems in which variability in dispersal is being studied, before discussing some of the potential underlying mechanisms. We then address future research needs and propose a simulation model that incorporates phenotypic plasticity in seed dispersal. We close with a call to action and encourage ecologists and biologist to embrace the challenge of better understanding rapid changes in seed dispersal and their consequences for the reaction of plant populations to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy S Johnson
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Dorena Genetic Resource Center, USDA Forest Service, Cottage Grove, OR, USA
| | | | - Chris Cosner
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Florian Hartig
- Theoretical Ecology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alan Hastings
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Haldre S Rogers
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources & Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Katriona Shea
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Brittany J Teller
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Xiao Yu
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Damaris Zurell
- Department of Geography, Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Land Change and Science, Swiss Federal Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Gesine Pufal
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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43
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Lewens T. The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis: what is the debate about, and what might success for the extenders look like? Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Debate over the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) ranges over three quite different domains of enquiry. Protagonists are committed to substantive positions regarding (1) empirical questions concerning (for example) the properties and prevalence of systems of epigenetic inheritance; (2) historical characterizations of the modern synthesis; and (3) conceptual/philosophical matters concerning (among other things) the nature of evolutionary processes, and the relationship between selection and adaptation. With these different aspects of the debate in view, it is possible to demonstrate the range of cross-cutting positions on offer when well-informed evolutionists consider their stance on the EES. This overview of the multiple dimensions of debate also enables clarification of two philosophical elements of the EES debate, regarding the status of niche-construction and the role of selection in explaining adaptation. Finally, it points the way to a possible resolution of the EES debate, via a pragmatic approach to evolutionary enquiry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Lewens
- University of Cambridge – History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge, UK
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44
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Stroud JT, Thompson ME. Looking to the past to understand the future of tropical conservation: The importance of collecting basic data. Biotropica 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James T. Stroud
- Department of Biology Washington University St. Louis Missouri
| | - Michelle E. Thompson
- Department of Science & Education Field Museum of Natural History Chicago Illinois
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45
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Fuentes
- 296 Corbett Family Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556-5611, E-mail:
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46
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Zeder MA. Why evolutionary biology needs anthropology: Evaluating core assumptions of the extended evolutionary synthesis. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:267-284. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Melinda A. Zeder
- Department of AnthropologyNational Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia
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47
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Developmental Bias and Evolution: A Regulatory Network Perspective. Genetics 2018; 209:949-966. [PMID: 30049818 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.118.300995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic variation is generated by the processes of development, with some variants arising more readily than others-a phenomenon known as "developmental bias." Developmental bias and natural selection have often been portrayed as alternative explanations, but this is a false dichotomy: developmental bias can evolve through natural selection, and bias and selection jointly influence phenotypic evolution. Here, we briefly review the evidence for developmental bias and illustrate how it is studied empirically. We describe recent theory on regulatory networks that explains why the influence of genetic and environmental perturbation on phenotypes is typically not uniform, and may even be biased toward adaptive phenotypic variation. We show how bias produced by developmental processes constitutes an evolving property able to impose direction on adaptive evolution and influence patterns of taxonomic and phenotypic diversity. Taking these considerations together, we argue that it is not sufficient to accommodate developmental bias into evolutionary theory merely as a constraint on evolutionary adaptation. The influence of natural selection in shaping developmental bias, and conversely, the influence of developmental bias in shaping subsequent opportunities for adaptation, requires mechanistic models of development to be expanded and incorporated into evolutionary theory. A regulatory network perspective on phenotypic evolution thus helps to integrate the generation of phenotypic variation with natural selection, leaving evolutionary biology better placed to explain how organisms adapt and diversify.
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48
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Chirgwin E, Marshall DJ, Sgrò CM, Monro K. How does parental environment influence the potential for adaptation to global change? Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181374. [PMID: 30209227 PMCID: PMC6158540 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental environments are regularly shown to alter the mean fitness of offspring, but their impacts on the genetic variation for fitness, which predicts adaptive capacity and is also measured on offspring, are unclear. Consequently, how parental environments mediate adaptation to environmental stressors, like those accompanying global change, is largely unknown. Here, using an ecologically important marine tubeworm in a quantitative-genetic breeding design, we tested how parental exposure to projected ocean warming alters the mean survival, and genetic variation for survival, of offspring during their most vulnerable life stage under current and projected temperatures. Offspring survival was higher when parent and offspring temperatures matched. Across offspring temperatures, parental exposure to warming altered the distribution of additive genetic variance for survival, making it covary across current and projected temperatures in a way that may aid adaptation to future warming. Parental exposure to warming also amplified nonadditive genetic variance for survival, suggesting that compatibilities between parental genomes may grow increasingly important under future warming. Our study shows that parental environments potentially have broader-ranging effects on adaptive capacity than currently appreciated, not only mitigating the negative impacts of global change but also reshaping the raw fuel for evolutionary responses to it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evatt Chirgwin
- Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Dustin J Marshall
- Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Carla M Sgrò
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
| | - Keyne Monro
- Centre for Geometric Biology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
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49
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The emerging structure of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis: where does Evo-Devo fit in? Theory Biosci 2018; 137:169-184. [PMID: 30132255 DOI: 10.1007/s12064-018-0269-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) debate is gaining ground in contemporary evolutionary biology. In parallel, a number of philosophical standpoints have emerged in an attempt to clarify what exactly is represented by the EES. For Massimo Pigliucci, we are in the wake of the newest instantiation of a persisting Kuhnian paradigm; in contrast, Telmo Pievani has contended that the transition to an EES could be best represented as a progressive reformation of a prior Lakatosian scientific research program, with the extension of its Neo-Darwinian core and the addition of a brand-new protective belt of assumptions and auxiliary hypotheses. Here, we argue that those philosophical vantage points are not the only ways to interpret what current proposals to 'extend' the Modern Synthesis-derived 'standard evolutionary theory' (SET) entail in terms of theoretical change in evolutionary biology. We specifically propose the image of the emergent EES as a vast network of models and interweaved representations that, instantiated in diverse practices, are connected and related in multiple ways. Under that assumption, the EES could be articulated around a paraconsistent network of evolutionary theories (including some elements of the SET), as well as models, practices and representation systems of contemporary evolutionary biology, with edges and nodes that change their position and centrality as a consequence of the co-construction and stabilization of facts and historical discussions revolving around the epistemic goals of this area of the life sciences. We then critically examine the purported structure of the EES-published by Laland and collaborators in 2015-in light of our own network-based proposal. Finally, we consider which epistemic units of Evo-Devo are present or still missing from the EES, in preparation for further analyses of the topic of explanatory integration in this conceptual framework.
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50
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Charlesworth D, Barton NH, Charlesworth B. The sources of adaptive variation. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:rspb.2016.2864. [PMID: 28566483 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of natural selection in the evolution of adaptive phenotypes has undergone constant probing by evolutionary biologists, employing both theoretical and empirical approaches. As Darwin noted, natural selection can act together with other processes, including random changes in the frequencies of phenotypic differences that are not under strong selection, and changes in the environment, which may reflect evolutionary changes in the organisms themselves. As understanding of genetics developed after 1900, the new genetic discoveries were incorporated into evolutionary biology. The resulting general principles were summarized by Julian Huxley in his 1942 book Evolution: the modern synthesis Here, we examine how recent advances in genetics, developmental biology and molecular biology, including epigenetics, relate to today's understanding of the evolution of adaptations. We illustrate how careful genetic studies have repeatedly shown that apparently puzzling results in a wide diversity of organisms involve processes that are consistent with neo-Darwinism. They do not support important roles in adaptation for processes such as directed mutation or the inheritance of acquired characters, and therefore no radical revision of our understanding of the mechanism of adaptive evolution is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Charlesworth
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Nicholas H Barton
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneuburg 3400, Austria
| | - Brian Charlesworth
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
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