The Place of Development in Mathematical Evolutionary Theory SEAN H
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Mirror of Physics: on How the Price Equation Can Unify Evolutionary Biology
Synthese https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03339-6 ORIGINAL RESEARCH The mirror of physics: on how the Price equation can unify evolutionary biology Victor J. Luque1 · Lorenzo Baravalle2 Received: 30 September 2020 / Accepted: 26 July 2021 © The Author(s) 2021 Abstract Due to its high degree of complexity and its historical nature, evolutionary biol‑ ogy has been traditionally portrayed as a messy science. According to the supporters of such a view, evolutionary biology would be unable to formulate laws and robust theories, instead just delivering coherent narratives and local models. In this article, our aim is to challenge this view by showing how the Price equation can work as the core of a general theoretical framework for evolutionary phenomena. To support this claim, we outline some unnoticed structural similarities between physical theo‑ ries (in particular, classical mechanics) and evolutionary biology. More specifcally, we shall argue that the Price equation, in the same way as fundamental formalisms in physics, can serve as a heuristic principle to formulate and systematise diferent theories and models in evolutionary biology. Keywords Evolutionary biology · Price equation · Complexity · Metatheoretical structuralism · Guiding principle · Classical mechanics This article belongs to the topical collection “Simplicity out of Complexity? Physics and the Aims of Science,” Edited by Florian J. Boge, Martin King, Paul Grünke and Miguel Ángel Carretero Sahuquillo. * Victor J. Luque [email protected] Lorenzo Baravalle [email protected] -
The 'Algebra of Evolution': the Robertson–Price Identity and Viability Selection for Body Mass in a Wild Bird Population
Edinburgh Research Explorer The ‘algebra of evolution’: the Robertson–Price identity and viability selection for body mass in a wild bird population Citation for published version: Hajduk, GK, Walling, CA, Cockburn, A & Kruuk, LEB 2020, 'The ‘algebra of evolution’: the Robertson–Price identity and viability selection for body mass in a wild bird population', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 375, no. 1797, 20190359. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0359 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1098/rstb.2019.0359 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Published In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 26. Sep. 2021 The ‘algebra of evolution’: the Robertson–Price identity and royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rstb viability selection for body mass in a wild bird population Research G. K. Hajduk1, C. A. Walling1, A. Cockburn2 and L. E. B. Kruuk2 1 Cite this article: Hajduk GK, Walling CA, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK 2Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia Cockburn A, Kruuk LEB. -
Multilevel Selection and Population Genetics in Structured
Multilevel Selection, Population Genetics and Cooperation in Structured Populations NIMBioS Tutorial: Game Theoretical Modeling of Evolution in Structured Populations Jeremy Van Cleve University of Kentucky 26 April 2016 Multilevel selection, pop gen and games in structured pops UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY How do cooperative behaviors evolve? Cooperation occurs when: focal: cost to improve state of its partner partner: beneft from improved state Food improves state ⟶ higher ftness Multilevel selection, pop gen and games in structured pops UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY trate into a tightWhen form they known cease as moving,and the a when cells Mexican there ofenvironment hat. is the lacks Then, either slug electrolytes, concen- directional when light it orimmune is system, no before they very are light. shed at moist, thefunctioning rear of simultaneously the slug. asthe liver, slug from kidney, front and toered back innate class picking up of toxins cells and calledand bacteria, ultimately sentinel become cells the stalk. that There is sweep athe through recently discov- constituent cells. Those atthe slug the lacks a front nervous system, direct there are movement differencesmove: among an important advantage to themore quickly social and farther stage. than Though any individual amoebaeffectively could recovering the solitaryrear, stage. and these The cells slug can feed moves sheath on any largely bacteria made they discover, upfrom of it cellulose, it in drops some cells important at ways. the Astoward light and heat it and away from ammonia crawls ( throughwhich a then elongatesAfter slightly a few and hours, beginsa this center to center concentrates into crawl in aconcentrate around a mound, in great process streams of calledhighest dicty cells, aggregation concentration. -
Heritability in the Era of Molecular Genetics: Some Thoughts for Understanding Genetic Influences on Behavioural Traits
European Journal of Personality, Eur. J. Pers. 25: 254–266 (2011) Published online (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI: 10.1002/per.836 Heritability in the Era of Molecular Genetics: Some Thoughts for Understanding Genetic Influences on Behavioural Traits WENDY JOHNSON1,2*, LARS PENKE1 and FRANK M. SPINATH3 1Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology and Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK 2Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 3Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany Abstract: Genetic influences on behavioural traits are ubiquitous. When behaviourism was the dominant paradigm in psychology, demonstrations of heritability of behavioural and psychological constructs provided important evidence of its limitations. Now that genetic influences on behavioural traits are generally accepted, we need to recognise the limitations of heritability as an indicator of both the aetiology and likelihood of discovering molecular genetic associations with behavioural traits. We review those limitations and conclude that quantitative genetics and genetically informative research designs are still critical to understanding the roles of gene‐environment interplay in developmental processes, though not necessarily in the ways commonly discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key words: genetic influences; twin study; heritability Much is often made of new findings of the presence of environmental influences but emphasised that these genetic influences -
The Purpose of Adaptation
Downloaded from http://rsfs.royalsocietypublishing.org/ on February 1, 2018 The purpose of adaptation Andy Gardner rsfs.royalsocietypublishing.org School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyers Brae, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK AG, 0000-0002-1304-3734 A central feature of Darwin’s theory of natural selection is that it explains the purpose of biological adaptation. Here, I: emphasize the scientific impor- tance of understanding what adaptations are for, in terms of facilitating Research the derivation of empirically testable predictions; discuss the population genetical basis for Darwin’s theory of the purpose of adaptation, with refer- Cite this article: Gardner A. 2017 The ence to Fisher’s ‘fundamental theorem of natural selection’; and show that a purpose of adaptation. Interface Focus 7: deeper understanding of the purpose of adaptation is achieved in the context 20170005. of social evolution, with reference to inclusive fitness and superorganisms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2017.0005 One contribution of 20 to a theme issue ‘New 1. The purpose of adaptation trends in evolutionary biology: biological, Darwinism is a theory of the process of adaptation, i.e. the appearance of design philosophical and social science perspectives’. in the biological world. The problem of how to explain adaptation is an ancient one, and it famously provided the basis for William Paley’s [1] argument for Subject Areas: the existence of an intelligent, divine designer. This problem was decisively solved by Charles Darwin [2], whose theory of evolution by natural selec- biomathematics tion—in which heritable variations associated with greater survival and reproductive success are identified as being more likely to accumulate in natural Keywords: populations—explained the adaptation of organisms in purely naturalistic, natural selection, fundamental theorem, mechanical terms. -
Struggle for Existence: the Models for Darwinian and Non-Darwinian Selection
Struggle for Existence: the models for Darwinian and non-Darwinian selection G. Karev1, F. Berezovskaya2 1National Center for Biotechnology Information, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA. Email: [email protected] 2 Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Classical understanding of the outcome of the struggle for existence results in the Darwinian “survival of the fittest”. Here we show that the situation may be different, more complex and arguably more interesting. Specifically, we show that different versions of inhomogeneous logistic-like models with a distributed Malthusian parameter imply non-Darwinian “survival of everybody”. In contrast, the inhomogeneous logistic equation with distributed carrying capacity shows Darwinian “survival of the fittest”. We also consider an inhomogeneous birth-and-death equation and give a simple proof that this equation results in the “survival of the fittest”. In addition to this known result, we find an exact limit distribution of the parameters of this equation. We also consider “frequency-dependent” inhomogeneous models and show that although some of these models show Darwinian “survival of the fittest”, there is not enough time for selection of the fittest species. We discuss the well-known Gauze’s Competitive exclusion principle that states that “Complete competitors cannot coexist”. While this principle is often considered as a direct consequence of the Darwinian “survival of the fittest”, we show that from the point of view of developed mathematical theory complete competitors can in fact coexist indefinitely. 1. Introduction. Darwinian evolution and Competitive Exclusion principle In his 1934 book, G.F. Gause described his experiments where he cultivated two types of yeast, S. -
Transformations of Lamarckism Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology Gerd B
Transformations of Lamarckism Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology Gerd B. M ü ller, G ü nter P. Wagner, and Werner Callebaut, editors The Evolution of Cognition , edited by Cecilia Heyes and Ludwig Huber, 2000 Origination of Organismal Form: Beyond the Gene in Development and Evolutionary Biology , edited by Gerd B. M ü ller and Stuart A. Newman, 2003 Environment, Development, and Evolution: Toward a Synthesis , edited by Brian K. Hall, Roy D. Pearson, and Gerd B. M ü ller, 2004 Evolution of Communication Systems: A Comparative Approach , edited by D. Kimbrough Oller and Ulrike Griebel, 2004 Modularity: Understanding the Development and Evolution of Natural Complex Systems , edited by Werner Callebaut and Diego Rasskin-Gutman, 2005 Compositional Evolution: The Impact of Sex, Symbiosis, and Modularity on the Gradualist Framework of Evolution , by Richard A. Watson, 2006 Biological Emergences: Evolution by Natural Experiment , by Robert G. B. Reid, 2007 Modeling Biology: Structure, Behaviors, Evolution , edited by Manfred D. Laubichler and Gerd B. M ü ller, 2007 Evolution of Communicative Flexibility: Complexity, Creativity, and Adaptability in Human and Animal Communication , edited by Kimbrough D. Oller and Ulrike Griebel, 2008 Functions in Biological and Artifi cial Worlds: Comparative Philosophical Perspectives , edited by Ulrich Krohs and Peter Kroes, 2009 Cognitive Biology: Evolutionary and Developmental Perspectives on Mind, Brain, and Behavior , edited by Luca Tommasi, Mary A. Peterson, and Lynn Nadel, 2009 Innovation in Cultural Systems: Contributions from Evolutionary Anthropology , edited by Michael J. O ’ Brien and Stephen J. Shennan, 2010 The Major Transitions in Evolution Revisited , edited by Brett Calcott and Kim Sterelny, 2011 Transformations of Lamarckism: From Subtle Fluids to Molecular Biology , edited by Snait B. -
High Heritability of Telomere Length, but Low Evolvability, and No Significant
bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.16.423128; this version posted December 16, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. 1 High heritability of telomere length, but low evolvability, and no significant 2 heritability of telomere shortening in wild jackdaws 3 4 Christina Bauch1*, Jelle J. Boonekamp1,2, Peter Korsten3, Ellis Mulder1, Simon Verhulst1 5 6 Affiliations: 7 1 Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 8 9747AG Groningen, The Netherlands 9 2 present address: Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College 10 of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United 11 Kingdom 12 3 Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Morgenbreede 45, 33615 Bielefeld, 13 Germany 14 15 16 * Correspondence to: 17 [email protected] 18 19 Running head: High heritability of telomere length bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.16.423128; this version posted December 16, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. 20 Abstract 21 Telomere length (TL) and shortening rate predict survival in many organisms. Evolutionary 22 dynamics of TL in response to survival selection depend on the presence of genetic variation 23 that selection can act upon. However, the amount of standing genetic variation is poorly known 24 for both TL and TL shortening rate, and has not been studied for both traits in combination in 25 a wild vertebrate. -
George Price's Contributions to Evolutionary Genetics
J. theor. Biol. (1995) 175, 373–388 George Price’s Contributions to Evolutionary Genetics S A. F Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92717, U.S.A. (Received on 9 November 1994, Accepted in revised form on 14 February 1995) George Price studied evolutionary genetics for approximately seven years between 1967 and 1974. During that brief period Price made three lasting contributions to evolutionary theory; these were: (i) the Price Equation, a profound insight into the nature of selection and the basis for the modern theories of kin and group selection; (ii) the theory of games and animal behavior, based on the concept of the evolutionarily stable strategy; and (iii) the modern interpretation of Fisher’s fundamental theorem of natural selection, Fisher’s theorem being perhaps the most cited and least understood idea in the history of evolutionary genetics. This paper summarizes Price’s contributions and briefly outlines why, toward the end of his painful intellectual journey, he chose to focus his deep humanistic feelings and sharp, analytical mind on abstract problems in evolutionary theory. 7 1995 Academic Press Limited Introduction (iii) Price (1972b) was the first to crack the most obscure and misunderstood of R. A. Fisher’s many At the age of 44, George Price quit his engineering job oracles: the fundamental theorem of natural selection. at IBM and took up evolutionary genetics. Price This theorem is perhaps the most widely quoted result moved to the Galton Laboratories at London in 1967, in evolutionary theory, yet Price demonstrated where C. A. B. Smith, Weldon Professor of Biometry, convincingly that the consensus interpretation of the provided him with space and encouragement. -
Environment-Sensitive Epigenetics and the Heritability of Complex Diseases
INVESTIGATION Environment-Sensitive Epigenetics and the Heritability of Complex Diseases Robert E. Furrow,*,1 Freddy B. Christiansen,† and Marcus W. Feldman* *Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, and †Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics Research Center, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark ABSTRACT Genome-wide association studies have thus far failed to explain the observed heritability of complex human diseases. This is referred to as the “missing heritability” problem. However, these analyses have usually neglected to consider a role for epigenetic variation, which has been associated with many human diseases. We extend models of epigenetic inheritance to investigate whether environment-sensitive epigenetic modifications of DNA might explain observed patterns of familial aggregation. We find that variation in epigenetic state and environmental state can result in highly heritable phenotypes through a combination of epigenetic and environmental inheritance. These two inheritance processes together can produce familial covariances significantly higher than those predicted by models of purely epigenetic inheritance and similar to those expected from genetic effects. The results suggest that epigenetic variation, inherited both directly and through shared environmental effects, may make a key contribution to the missing heritability. HE challenges of identifying the common or rare genes a change in DNA sequence. Such modifications include Tthat contribute to the transmission of heritable human methylation of cytosine nucleotides at CpG sites and histone diseases and other complex phenotypes have been discussed protein modification. Such epigenetic modifications may be for some time (Moran 1973; Layzer 1974; Feldman and transmissible across generations or arise de novo each gen- Lewontin 1975; Kamin and Goldberger 2002). -
The Importance of Heritability in Psychological Research: the Case of Attitudes
Psychological Review Copyright 1993 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 1993, Vol. 100, No. 1,129-142 0033-295X/93/S3.00 The Importance of Heritability in Psychological Research: The Case of Attitudes Abraham Tesser It is argued that differences in response heritability may have important implications for the testing of general psychological theories, that is, responses that differ in heritability may function differ- ently. For example, attitudes higher in heritability are shown to be responded to more quickly, to be more resistant to change, and to be more consequential in the attitude similarity attraction relation- ship. The substantive results are interpreted in terms of attitude strength and niche building. More generally, the implications of heritability for the generality and typicality of treatment effects are also discussed. Although psychologists clearly recognize the impact of genet- heritabilities is both long and surprising. As noted earlier, the ics on behavior, their theories rarely reflect this knowledge. intellectual abilities domain has received the most press, and Most theories assume that behavior is relatively plastic and is the genetic contribution to that domain is well documented shaped almost entirely by situational parameters. The possibil- (e.g., Loehlin, Willerman, & Horn, 1988; Plomin & Rende, ity that a response may have a high heritability is often ignored. 1991). There is also evidence of genetic contributions to spe- I argue here that ignoring this possibility is consequential. The cific cognitive abilities, school achievement, creativity, reading vehicle used in this article is attitudes. This vehicle was chosen disability, and mental retardation (see Plomin, 1989, for a re- because it is a domain with which I have some familiarity; it is a view). -
An Introduction to Quantitative Genetics I Heather a Lawson Advanced Genetics Spring2018 Outline
An Introduction to Quantitative Genetics I Heather A Lawson Advanced Genetics Spring2018 Outline • What is Quantitative Genetics? • Genotypic Values and Genetic Effects • Heritability • Linkage Disequilibrium and Genome-Wide Association Quantitative Genetics • The theory of the statistical relationship between genotypic variation and phenotypic variation. 1. What is the cause of phenotypic variation in natural populations? 2. What is the genetic architecture and molecular basis of phenotypic variation in natural populations? • Genotype • The genetic constitution of an organism or cell; also refers to the specific set of alleles inherited at a locus • Phenotype • Any measureable characteristic of an individual, such as height, arm length, test score, hair color, disease status, migration of proteins or DNA in a gel, etc. Nature Versus Nurture • Is a phenotype the result of genes or the environment? • False dichotomy • If NATURE: my genes made me do it! • If NURTURE: my mother made me do it! • The features of an organisms are due to an interaction of the individual’s genotype and environment Genetic Architecture: “sum” of the genetic effects upon a phenotype, including additive,dominance and parent-of-origin effects of several genes, pleiotropy and epistasis Different genetic architectures Different effects on the phenotype Types of Traits • Monogenic traits (rare) • Discrete binary characters • Modified by genetic and environmental background • Polygenic traits (common) • Discrete (e.g. bristle number on flies) or continuous (human height)