A Rationale for Group Selection

Wynne-Edwards, V. C.

doi:10.1006/jtbi.1993.1073

Cited by 30 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…The question of whether natural selection favours competitive individuals or well‐adapted plant communities (‘group selection’) is still the subject of considerable debate (Wilson 1983; Wynne‐Edwards 1993; Smillie 1995; Okasha 2003). Some of the controversy about ‘group selection’ can be related to the question of whether selection is based on the ‘fitness of the group’ or the ‘average individual fitness of its constituent organisms’ (Okasha 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO₂ uptake by natural vegetation

Schymanski

Roderick

Sivapalan

et al. 2007

Plant Cell & Environment

105

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Photosynthesis provides plants with their main building material, carbohydrates, and with the energy necessary to thrive and prosper in their environment. We expect, therefore, that natural vegetation would evolve optimally to maximize its net carbon profit (NCP), the difference between carbon acquired by photosynthesis and carbon spent on maintenance of the organs involved in its uptake.We modelled NCP for an optimal vegetation for a site in the wet-dry tropics of north Australia based on this hypothesis and on an ecophysiological gas exchange and photosynthesis model, and compared the modelled CO2 fluxes and canopy properties with observations from the site. The comparison gives insights into theoretical and real controls on gas exchange and canopy structure, and supports the optimality approach for the modelling of gas exchange of natural vegetation.The main advantage of the optimality approach we adopt is that no assumptions about the particular vegetation of a site are required, making it a very powerful tool for predicting vegetation response to long-term climate or land use change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO₂ uptake by natural vegetation

Schymanski

Roderick

Sivapalan

et al. 2007

Plant Cell & Environment

105

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“…‘superorganisms’ (Wheeler, 1911; Marais, 1925; Wells et al. , 1929; Emerson, 1932; Wynne‐Edwards, 1962, 1993; Seeley, 1989, 1997; Wilson & Sober, 1989; Hölldobler & Wilson, 1990, 2009; Shapiro & Dworkin, 1997; Shapiro, 1998; Sober & Wilson, 1998; Reeve & Hölldobler, 2007; Wilson & Wilson, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capturing the superorganism: a formal theory of group adaptation

Gardner¹,

Grafen²

2009

J of Evolutionary Biology

272

315

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Adaptation is conventionally regarded as occurring at the level of the individual organism. However, in recent years there has been a revival of interest in the possibility for group adaptations and superorganisms. Here, we provide the first formal theory of group adaptation. In particular: (1) we clarify the distinction between group selection and group adaptation, framing the former in terms of gene frequency change and the latter in terms of optimization; (2) we capture the superorganism in the form of a 'group as maximizing agent' analogy that links an optimization program to a model of a group-structured population; (3) we demonstrate that between-group selection can lead to group adaptation, but only in rather special circumstances; (4) we provide formal support for the view that between-group selection is the best definition for 'group selection'; and (5) we reveal that mechanisms of conflict resolution such as policing cannot be regarded as group adaptations.

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“…Perhaps more accumulation of evidence would help Wynne‐Edwards; he published additional evidence in Evolution through Group Selection (1986), which did not win any more acceptance, but rather, “universal criticism” (Montgomerie 2015, personal communication). His swan song was “A Rationale for Group Selection” (1993). Wynne‐Edwards was generally well liked, and his theory, which some considered heretical, did not detract from his popularity.…”

Section: Since 1958mentioning

confidence: 99%

History of Ecological Sciences, Part 55: Animal Population Ecology

Egerton¹

2015

Bulletin Ecologic Soc America

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A Rationale for Group Selection

Cited by 30 publications

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A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO₂ uptake by natural vegetation

A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO₂ uptake by natural vegetation

Capturing the superorganism: a formal theory of group adaptation

History of Ecological Sciences, Part 55: Animal Population Ecology

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A Rationale for Group Selection

Cited by 30 publications

References 0 publications

A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO2 uptake by natural vegetation

A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO2 uptake by natural vegetation

Capturing the superorganism: a formal theory of group adaptation

History of Ecological Sciences, Part 55: Animal Population Ecology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO₂ uptake by natural vegetation

A test of the optimality approach to modelling canopy properties and CO₂ uptake by natural vegetation