The extended evolutionary synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution
Article
Dickins, T. and Rahman, Q. 2012. The extended evolutionary synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 279 (1740), pp. 2913-2921. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0273
Type | Article |
---|---|
Title | The extended evolutionary synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution |
Authors | Dickins, T. and Rahman, Q. |
Abstract | In recent years, a number of researchers have advocated extending the modern synthesis in evolutionary biology. One of the core arguments made in favour of an extension comes from work on soft inheritance systems, including transgenerational epigenetic effects, cultural transmission and niche construction. In this study, we outline this claim and then take issue with it. We argue that the focus on soft inheritance has led to a conflation of proximate and ultimate causation, which has in turn obscured key questions about biological organization and calibration across the life span to maximize average lifetime inclusive fitness. We illustrate this by presenting hypotheses that we believe incorporate the core phenomena of soft inheritance and will aid in understanding them. |
Keywords | Soft inheritance; Extended evolutionary synthesis; Epigenetic inheritance; Proximate and ultimate causation |
Research Group | Behavioural Biology group |
Publisher | The Royal Society |
Journal | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
ISSN | 0962-8452 |
Electronic | 1471-2954 |
Publication dates | |
16 May 2012 | |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 26 Apr 2012 |
Deposited | 05 Nov 2012 |
Output status | Published |
Accepted author manuscript | License File Access Level Open |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0273 |
Web of Science identifier | WOS:000306105900001 |
Language | English |
https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/83vy5
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