DOCSLIB.ORG

Transformations of Lamarckism Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology Gerd B

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
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. Gissis, and Eva Jablonka, 2011 Transformations of Lamarckism From Subtle Fluids to Molecular Biology edited by Snait B. Gissis and Eva Jablonka with illustrations by Anna Zeligowski The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England © 2011 Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher. For information about special quantity discounts, please email [email protected] This book was set in Times Roman by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Transformations of Lamarckism : from subtle fl uids to molecular biology / edited by Snait B. Gissis and Eva Jablonka ; with illustrations by Anna Zeligowski. p. cm. – (Vienna series in theoretical biology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-262-01514-1 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Evolution (Biology) – History. 2. Natural selection. 3. Adaptation (Biology) 4. Evolutionary genetics. 5. Lamarck, Jean Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet de, 1744-1829. 6. Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882. I. Gissis, Snait, 1945- II. Jablonka, Eva. III. Title. QH361.T73 2011 576.8 ′ 27 – dc22 2010031344 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Series Foreword ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv INTRODUCTORY ESSAYS 1 1 Lamarck, Darwin, and the Contemporary Debate about Levels of Selection 3 Gabriel Motzkin 2 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck: From Myth to History 9 Pietro Corsi I HISTORY 19 3 Introduction: Lamarckian Problematics in Historical Perspective 21 Snait B. Gissis 4 Lamarck, Cuvier, and Darwin on Animal Behavior and Acquired Characters 33 Richard W. Burkhardt, Jr. 5 The Golden Age of Lamarckism, 1866 – 1926 45 Sander Gliboff 6 Germinal Selection: A Weismannian Solution to Lamarckian Problematics 57 Charlotte Weissman 7 The Notions of Plasticity and Heredity among French Neo-Lamarckians (1880 – 1940): From Complementarity to Incompatibility 67 Laurent Loison vi Contents 8 Lamarckism and Lysenkoism Revisited 77 Nils Roll-Hansen 9 Lamarckism and the Constitution of Sociology 89 Snait B. Gissis II THE MODERN SYNTHESIS 101 10 Introduction: The Exclusion of Soft ( “ Lamarckian ” ) Inheritance from the Modern Synthesis 103 Snait B. Gissis and Eva Jablonka 11 Attitudes to Soft Inheritance in Great Britain, 1930s – 1970s 109 Marion J. Lamb 12 The Decline of Soft Inheritance 121 Scott Gilbert 13 Why Did the Modern Synthesis Give Short Shrift to “ Soft Inheritance ” ? 127 Adam Wilkins 14 The Modern Synthesis: Discussion 133 III BIOLOGY 143 15 Introduction: Lamarckian Problematics in Biology 145 Eva Jablonka 16 Lamarck ’ s Dangerous Idea 157 Stuart A. Newman and Ramray Bhat 17 Behavior, Stress, and Evolution in Light of the Novosibirsk Selection Experiments 171 Arkady L. Markel and Lyudmila N. Trut 18 The Role of Cellular Plasticity in the Evolution of Regulatory Novelty 181 Erez Braun and Lior David 19 Evolutionary Implications of Individual Plasticity 193 Sonia E. Sultan 20 Epigenetic Variability in a Predator-Prey System 205 Sivan Pearl, Amos Oppenheim, and Nathalie Q. Balaban 21 Cellular Epigenetic Inheritance in the Twenty-First Century 215 Eva Jablonka Contents vii 22 An Evolutionary Role for RNA-Mediated Epigenetic Variation? 227 Minoo Rassoulzadegan 23 Maternal and Transgenerational Infl uences on Human Health 237 Peter D. Gluckman, Mark A. Hanson, and Tatjana Buklijas 24 Plants: Individuals or Epigenetic Cell Populations? 251 Marcello Buiatti 25 Instantaneous Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations in the Wheat Genome Caused by Allopolyploidization 261 Moshe Feldman and Avraham A. Levy 26 Lamarckian Leaps in the Microbial World 271 Jan Sapp 27 Symbionts as an Epigenetic Source of Heritable Variation 283 Scott F. Gilbert IV PHILOSOPHY 295 28 Introduction: Lamarckian Problematics in the Philosophy of Biology 297 Snait B. Gissis and Eva Jablonka 29 Mind the Gaps: Why Are Niche Construction Models So Rarely Used? 307 Ayelet Shavit and James Griesemer 30 Our Plastic Nature 319 Paul Griffi ths 31 The Relative Signifi cance of Epigenetic Inheritance in Evolution: Some Philosophical Considerations 331 James Griesemer 32 The Metastable Genome: A Lamarckian Organ in a Darwinian World? 345 Ehud Lamm 33 Self-Organization, Self-Assembly, and the Inherent Activity of Matter 357 Evelyn F. Keller V RAMIFICATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS 365 34 Introduction: Ramifi cations and Future Directions 367 Snait B. Gissis and Eva Jablonka 35 Lamarck on the Nervous System: Past Insights and Future Perspectives 369 Simona Ginsburg viii Contents 36 Lamarck ’ s “ Pouvoir de la Nature ” Demystifi ed: A Thermodynamic Foundation to Lamarck ’ s Concept of Progressive Evolution 373 Francis Dov Por 37 Prokaryotic Epigenetic Inheritance and Its Role in Evolutionary Genetics 377 Luisa Hirschbein 38 Evolution as Progressing Complexity 381 Raphael Falk 39 Epigenetics and the “ New Biology ” : Enlisting in the Assault on Reductionism 385 Alfred I. Tauber 40 Epigenetic Inheritance: Where Does the Field Stand Today? What Do We Still Need to Know? 389 Adam Wilkins 41 Final Discussion 395 Appendix A: Mandelstam ’ s Poem “ Lamarck ” 411 Appendix B: Mechanisms of Cell Heredity 413 Glossary 423 Contributors 433 Index 437 Series Foreword Biology is becoming the leading science in this century. As in all other sciences, progress in biology depends on interactions between empirical research, theory building, and modeling. However, whereas the techniques and methods of descrip- tive and experimental biology have evolved dramatically in recent years, generating a fl ood of highly detailed empirical data, the integration of these results into useful theoretical frameworks has lagged behind. Driven largely by pragmatic and techni- cal considerations, research in biology continues to be less guided by theory than seems indicated. By promoting the formulation and discussion of new theoretical concepts in the biosciences, this series is intended to help fi ll the gaps in our under- standing of some of the major open questions of biology, such as the origin and organization of organismal form, the relationship between development and evolu- tion, and the biological bases of cognition and mind. Theoretical biology has important roots in the experimental biology movement of early-twentieth-century Vienna. Paul Weiss and Ludwig von Bertalanffy were among the fi rst to use the term theoretical biology in a modern scientifi c context. In their understanding the subject was not limited to mathematical formalization, as is often the case today, but extended to the conceptual problems and foundations of biology. It is this commitment to a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary integration of theoretical concepts that the present series intends to emphasize. Today, theoreti- cal biology has genetic, developmental, and evolutionary components, the central connective themes in modern biology, but also includes relevant aspects of compu- tational biology, semiotics, and cognition research and extends to the naturalistic philosophy of sciences. The “ Vienna Series ” grew out of theory-oriented workshops, organized by the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research (KLI), an interna- tional center for advanced study closely associated with the University of Vienna. The KLI fosters research projects, workshops, archives, book projects, and the journal Biological Theory , all devoted to aspects of theoretical biology, with an x Series Foreword emphasis on integrating the developmental, evolutionary, and cognitive sciences. The series
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Relaxed Selection in the Wild
    TREE-1109; No of Pages 10 Review Relaxed selection in the wild David C. Lahti1, Norman A. Johnson2, Beverly C. Ajie3, Sarah P. Otto4, Andrew P. Hendry5, Daniel T. Blumstein6, Richard G. Coss7, Kathleen Donohue8 and Susan A. Foster9 1 Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA 2 Department of Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA 3 Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA 4 Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada 5 Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2K6, Canada 6 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA 7 Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA 8 Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 02138, USA 9 Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, MA 01610, USA Natural populations often experience the weakening or are often less clear than typical cases of trait evolution. removal of a source of selection that had been important When an environmental change results in strong selection in the maintenance of one or more traits. Here we refer to on a trait from a known source, a prediction for trait these situations as ‘relaxed selection,’ and review recent evolution often follows directly from this fact [2]. When studies that explore the effects of such changes on traits such a strong source of selection is removed, however, no in their ecological contexts. In a few systems, such as the clear prediction emerges. Rather, the likelihood of various loss of armor in stickleback, the genetic, developmental consequences can only be understood by integrating the and ecological bases of trait evolution are being discov- remaining sources of selection and processes at all levels of ered.
    [Show full text]
  • Hybrid Vigor Between Native and Introduced Salamanders Raises New Challenges for Conservation
    Hybrid vigor between native and introduced salamanders raises new challenges for conservation Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick*† and H. Bradley Shaffer‡ *Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996; and ‡Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 Edited by John C. Avise, University of California, Irvine, CA, and approved August 10, 2007 (received for review May 22, 2007) Hybridization between differentiated lineages can have many populations by alleviating inbreeding depression (13, 14) or different consequences depending on fitness variation among facilitating adaptive evolution in modified or degraded habitats hybrid offspring. When introduced organisms hybridize with na- (15–17). tives, the ensuing evolutionary dynamics may substantially com- The long-term consequences of hybridization are strongly plicate conservation decisions. Understanding the fitness conse- influenced by the genetic basis of hybrid fitness. In the case of quences of hybridization is an important first step in predicting its hybrid vigor, genetic models fall into two classes: heterozygote evolutionary outcome and conservation impact. Here, we mea- advantage and recombinant hybrid vigor (18–20). Heterozygote sured natural selection caused by differential viability of hybrid advantage (overdominance) refers to beneficial interactions larvae in wild populations where native California Tiger between heterospecific alleles of a single locus. Recombinant Salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) and introduced Barred hybrid vigor depends on multilocus genotypes and may be caused Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium) have been by epistasis (beneficial interactions between heterospecific al- hybridizing for 50–60 years. We found strong evidence of hybrid leles from different loci) or by complementary effects of inde- vigor; mixed-ancestry genotypes had higher survival rates than pendent advantageous alleles from each parental population (19, genotypes containing mostly native or mostly introduced alleles.
    [Show full text]
  • On Good Memories and Group-Living Meerkats
    Arbeitsberichte 91 Eva Jablonka On Good Memories and Group-Living Meerkats Eva Jablonka was born in Poland in 1952 and immi- grated to Israel in 1957. She studied for her B.Sc. at Birkbeck College, University of London and Ben Gurion University, Israel, and obtained an M.Sc. in microbiology from Ben Gurion University. Research for a Ph.D. in molecular genetics was carried out at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Post-doctoral studies in developmental biology and the philosophy of science followed. Since 1993, she has been a ten- ured Senior Lecturer in the Department of the His- tory and Philosophy of Science, Tel-Aviv University, teaching evolutionary biology, genetics, the philoso- phy of biology, and the history of genetics. Major publications: Epigenetic Inheritance and Evolution: the Lamarckian Dimension 1995, OUP (with Marion Lamb); The History of Heredity 1994 (The Broad- casting University, TA); Evolution 1994–1997 (A textbook in evolutionary biology for the Open Uni- versity of Israel, Open University Press, Israel). Research interests: evolutionary biology, genetics, behavioural ecology, the history and philosophy of biology. – Address: The Cohn Institute for the His- tory and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978 Tel-Aviv, Israel. As I sit here in my office in the Villa Jaffé trying to write this report, I look out of the window, beyond the blue screen of my computer, wondering how I can convey the complex and rich experiences that I have had here. New intellectual terrains opened up, new friendships blossomed. A red squirrel jumps through the green foliage of the oak tree just next to the window, the sun shines through the leaves, and my room is full of light and dancing shadows.
    [Show full text]
  • 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
    [Show full text]
  • Review Heterochronic Genes and the Nature of Developmental Time
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Current Biology 17, R425–R434, June 5, 2007 ª2007 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2007.03.043 Heterochronic Genes and the Nature of Review Developmental Time Eric G. Moss that have arisen to solve the problem of regulated tim- ing in animal development. Timing is a fundamental issue in development, with Heterochrony and Developmental Timing a range of implications from birth defects to evolu- in Evolution tion. In the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, Changes in developmental timing have long been be- the heterochronic genes encode components of lieved to be a major force in the evolution of morphol- a molecular developmental timing mechanism. This ogy [1]. A variety of changes is encompassed by the mechanism functions in diverse cell types through- concept of ‘heterochrony’ — differences in the relative out the animal to specify cell fates at each larval timing of developmental events between two closely stage. MicroRNAs play an important role in this related species. A classic example of heterochrony is mechanism by stage-specifically repressing cell- the axolotl. This salamander reaches sexual maturity fate regulators. Recent studies reveal the surprising without undergoing metamorphosis, such that its complexity surrounding this regulation — for exam- non-gonadal tissues retain larval features of other ple, a positive feedback loop may make the regula- salamanders. Different species of axolotls exhibit ge- tion more robust, and certain components of the netic differences in the production or activity of thyroid mechanism are expressed in brief periods at each hormones that trigger metamorphosis from aquatic stage.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Sciences 1
    Biological Sciences 1 Biological Sciences Marine Biology The Marine Biology major provides students with a strong foundation in basic biological concepts such as genetics, ecology, cell biology and marine systems as well as chemistry and mathematics. The plan of study provides the opportunity to choose elective courses from a wide variety of courses offered at Auburn University. In addition, students are required to take summer courses offered at marine labs around the United States, including Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Gulf Coast Research Lab. Students are also encouraged to consider internships and undergraduate research. Marine Biology graduates are well-prepared for advanced study in any marine science area or employment with marine labs, various governmental and nongovernmental agencies involved with coastal management and conservation, and tourism. Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology The Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology major provides students with an excellent foundation in the areas of microbiology, cellular and molecular biology that emphasizes the understanding of life at the cellular and molecular level. The choice of a formal option within the major allows students to concentrate on a particular area of interest. Each option provides a wide variety of courses and opportunities for undergraduate research. Students selecting the Microbiology option will be well prepared for postgraduate work or career advancement in a number of areas including food, environmental and medical microbiology. Students selecting the Cell and Molecular Biology option would also be well prepared for postgraduate study or career advancement in any area of eukaryotic cell or molecular biology. Both options provide excellent preparation for students interested in biotechnology or professional programs in the health sciences.
    [Show full text]
  • Communiqué SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE D’HISTOIRE ET DE PHILOSOPHIE DES SCIENCES
    Communiqué SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE D’HISTOIRE ET DE PHILOSOPHIE DES SCIENCES CANADIAN SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE No 80 Autumn/Automne 2011 The Organism Issue The saga of Simmons draba: how one plant Cancer cells: All dressed up and nowhere to go specimen crossed the Atlantic and back again by Tricia Close-Koenig in search of a name Cancer cells are organisms that divide and grow uncon- by Paul C. Sokoloff and Lynn J. Gillespie trollably, forming malignant tumours and infiltrate the Simmons draba (or as a botanist might write: Draba body. Like other cells, they are invisible to the naked eye simmonsii Elven & Al-Shebaz) is a diminutive member and are translucent through the microscope. They were of the Mustard family – the Brassicaceae –native to the identified in the mid nineteenth century. However, until Canadian Arctic. Distinguished by yellow cross-shaped the early twentieth century, diagnosis and treatment of flowers and a small, slender stature, it has proliferated cancer was largely under the jurisdiction of surgeons, the steadfastly on the tundra since it speciated (split from principal therapeutic being the extirpation of growths its closest relative), botanists have only recognized it as and tumours. Other practitioners and medical institu- a distinct species since 2008. tions were interested neither in cancer, which was incur- able, nor in cancer cells. Albeit, cancer was identified as The type specimen of Simmons draba (that single sam- continued on page 18 ple which best represents a species) was collected by its namesake, Herman Georg Simmons, during the second expedition of the “Fram” - a Norwegian research ves- sel.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological Developmental Biology and Disease States CHAPTER 5 Teratogenesis: Environmental Assaults on Development 167
    Integrating Epigenetics, Medicine, and Evolution Scott F. Gilbert David Epel Swarthmore College Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University Sinauer Associates, Inc. • Publishers Sunderland, Massachusetts U.S.A. © Sinauer Associates, Inc. This material cannot be copied, reproduced, manufactured or disseminated in any form without express written permission from the publisher. Brief Contents PART 1 Environmental Signals and Normal Development CHAPTER 1 The Environment as a Normal Agent in Producing Phenotypes 3 CHAPTER 2 How Agents in the Environment Effect Molecular Changes in Development 37 CHAPTER 3 Developmental Symbiosis: Co-Development as a Strategy for Life 79 CHAPTER 4 Embryonic Defenses: Survival in a Hostile World 119 PART 2 Ecological Developmental Biology and Disease States CHAPTER 5 Teratogenesis: Environmental Assaults on Development 167 CHAPTER 6 Endocrine Disruptors 197 CHAPTER 7 The Epigenetic Origin of Adult Diseases 245 PART 3 Toward a Developmental Evolutionary Synthesis CHAPTER 8 The Modern Synthesis: Natural Selection of Allelic Variation 289 CHAPTER 9 Evolution through Developmental Regulatory Genes 323 CHAPTER 10 Environment, Development, and Evolution: Toward a New Synthesis 369 CODA Philosophical Concerns Raised by Ecological Developmental Biology 403 APPENDIX A Lysenko, Kammerer, and the Truncated Tradition of Ecological Developmental Biology 421 APPENDIX B The Molecular Mechanisms of Epigenetic Change 433 APPENDIX C Writing Development Out of the Modern Synthesis 441 APPENDIX D Epigenetic Inheritance Systems:
    [Show full text]
  • Sirenian Feeding Apparatus: Functional Morphology of Feeding Involving Perioral Bristles and Associated Structures
    THE SIRENIAN FEEDING APPARATUS: FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF FEEDING INVOLVING PERIORAL BRISTLES AND ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES By CHRISTOPHER DOUGLAS MARSHALL A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNrVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REOUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 1997 DEDICATION to us simply as I dedicate this work to the memory of J. Rooker (known "Rooker") and to sirenian conservation. Rooker was a subject involved in the study during the 1993 sampling year at Lowry Park Zoological Gardens. Rooker died during the red tide event in May of 1996; approximately 140 other manatees also died. During his rehabilitation at Lowry Park Zoo, Rooker provided much information regarding the mechanism of manatee feeding and use of the perioral bristles. The "mortality incident" involving the red tide event in southwest Florida during the summer of 1996 should serve as a reminder that the Florida manatee population and the status of all sirenians is precarious. Although some estimates suggest that the Florida manatee population may be stable, annual mortality numbers as well as habitat degradation continue to increase. Sirenian conservation and research efforts must continue. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Research involving Florida manatees required that I work with several different government agencies and private parks. The staff of the Sirenia Project, U.S. Geological Service, Biological Resources Division - Florida Caribbean Science Center has been most helpful in conducting the behavioral aspect of this research and allowed this work to occur under their permit (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Permit number PRT-791721). Numerous conversations regarding manatee biology with Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution by Natural Selection, Formulated Independently by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
    UNIT 4 EVOLUTIONARY PATT EVOLUTIONARY E RNS AND PROC E SS E Evolution by Natural S 22 Selection Natural selection In this chapter you will learn that explains how Evolution is one of the most populations become important ideas in modern biology well suited to their environments over time. The shape and by reviewing by asking by applying coloration of leafy sea The rise of What is the evidence for evolution? Evolution in action: dragons (a fish closely evolutionary thought two case studies related to seahorses) 22.1 22.4 are heritable traits that with regard to help them to hide from predators. The pattern of evolution: The process of species have changed evolution by natural and are related 22.2 selection 22.3 keeping in mind Common myths about natural selection and adaptation 22.5 his chapter is about one of the great ideas in science: the theory of evolution by natural selection, formulated independently by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. The theory explains how T populations—individuals of the same species that live in the same area at the same time—have come to be adapted to environments ranging from arctic tundra to tropical wet forest. It revealed one of the five key attributes of life: Populations of organisms evolve. In other words, the heritable characteris- This chapter is part of the tics of populations change over time (Chapter 1). Big Picture. See how on Evolution by natural selection is one of the best supported and most important theories in the history pages 516–517. of scientific research.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolving Neural Networks That Are Both Modular and Regular: Hyperneat Plus the Connection Cost Technique Joost Huizinga, Jean-Baptiste Mouret, Jeff Clune
    Evolving Neural Networks That Are Both Modular and Regular: HyperNeat Plus the Connection Cost Technique Joost Huizinga, Jean-Baptiste Mouret, Jeff Clune To cite this version: Joost Huizinga, Jean-Baptiste Mouret, Jeff Clune. Evolving Neural Networks That Are Both Modular and Regular: HyperNeat Plus the Connection Cost Technique. GECCO ’14: Proceedings of the 2014 Annual Conference on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation, ACM, 2014, Vancouver, Canada. pp.697-704. hal-01300699 HAL Id: hal-01300699 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01300699 Submitted on 11 Apr 2016 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. To appear in: Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference. 2014 Evolving Neural Networks That Are Both Modular and Regular: HyperNeat Plus the Connection Cost Technique Joost Huizinga Jean-Baptiste Mouret Jeff Clune Evolving AI Lab ISIR, Université Pierre et Evolving AI Lab Department of Computer Marie Curie-Paris 6 Department of Computer Science CNRS UMR 7222 Science University of Wyoming Paris, France University of Wyoming [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT 1. INTRODUCTION One of humanity’s grand scientific challenges is to create ar- An open and ambitious question in the field of evolution- tificially intelligent robots that rival natural animals in intel- ary robotics is how to produce robots that possess the intel- ligence and agility.
    [Show full text]
  • Many but Not All Lineage-Specific Genes Can Be Explained by Homology Detection Failure
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.27.968420; this version posted April 14, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. Many but not all lineage-specific genes can be explained by homology detection failure Caroline M. Weisman1, Andrew W. Murray1, Sean R. Eddy1,2,3 1 Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, 2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 3 John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA Abstract Genes for which homologs can be detected only in a limited group of evolutionarily related species, called “lineage-specific genes,” are pervasive: essentially every lineage has them, and they often comprise a sizable fraction of the group’s total genes. Lineage-specific genes are often interpreted as “novel” genes, representing genetic novelty born anew within that lineage. Here, we develop a simple method to test an alternative null hypothesis: that lineage-specific genes do have homologs outside of the lineage that, even while evolving at a constant rate in a novelty-free manner, have merely become undetectable by search algorithms used to infer homology. We show that this null hypothesis is sufficient to explain the lack of detected homologs of a large number of lineage-specific genes in fungi and insects. However, we also find that a minority of lineage-specific genes in both clades are not well-explained by this novelty- free model.
    [Show full text]