The concept “individual” in biology

Jeuken, M.

doi:10.1007/bf01845805

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…To operationalize the theory of natural selection we must count individuals, as they are the bearers of fitness. While canonical individuals have often been taken to be multicellular organisms ( Jeuken 1952;Hull 1976Hull , 1980Tauber 1991;Pepper and Herron 2008), the hierarchy of life (e.g., simple prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, multicellular organisms, and eusocial groups) shows that new kinds of individuals have evolved (Buss 1987;Maynard Smith 1988;Maynard Smith and Szathmáry 1995;Michod and Roze 1997). A variety of criteria have been used to define biological individuality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Individuality: A Case Study in the Volvocine Green Algae

Hanschen¹,

Davison²,

Grochau-Wright³

et al. 2017

Philosophy, Theory, and Practice in Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While numerous criteria have been proposed in definitions of biological individuality, it is not clear whether these criteria reflect the evolutionary processes that underlie transitions in individuality. We consider the evolution of individuality during the transition from unicellular to multicellular life. We assume that "individuality" (however it is defined) has changed in the volvocine green algae lineage during the transition from single cells, to simple multicellular colonies with four to one hundred cells, to more complex multicellular organisms with thousands of differentiated cells. We map traits associated with the various proposed individuality criteria onto volvocine algae species thought to be similar to ancestral forms arising during this transition in individuality. We find that the fulfillment of some criteria, such as genetic homogeneity and genetic uniqueness, do not change across species, while traits underpinning other aspects of individuality, including degrees of integration, group-level fitness and adaptation, and group indivisibility, change dramatically. We observe that different kinds of individuals likely exist at different levels of organization (cell and group) in the same species of algae. Future research should focus on the causes and consequences of variation in individuality.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Individuality: A Case Study in the Volvocine Green Algae

Hanschen¹,

Davison²,

Grochau-Wright³

et al. 2017

Philosophy, Theory, and Practice in Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The problem of the organism concept often arises in discussions of what constitutes an “individual”. When biologists speak of an “individual”, they usually mean an individual organism (Jeuken, 1952; Sober, 1991; Santelices, 1999; Reif, 2005). It is worth being precise, as philosophers and others sometimes define ‘individual’ much more broadly (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Biology Need an Organism Concept?

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Among biologists, there is no general agreement on exactly what entities qualify as 'organisms'. Instead, there are multiple competing organism concepts and definitions. While some authors think this is a problem that should be corrected, others have suggested that biology does not actually need an organism concept. We argue that the organism concept is central to biology and should not be abandoned. Both organism concepts and operational definitions are useful. We review criteria used for recognizing organisms and conclude that they are not categorical but rather continuously variable. Different organism concepts are useful for addressing different questions, and it is important to be explicit about which is being used. Finally, we examine the origins of the derived state of organismality, and suggest that it may result from positive feedback between natural selection and functional integration in biological entities.

show abstract

Zum Artbegriff

Gittenberger

1972

Acta Biotheor

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The concept “individual” in biology

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

Evolution of Individuality: A Case Study in the Volvocine Green Algae

Evolution of Individuality: A Case Study in the Volvocine Green Algae

Does Biology Need an Organism Concept?

Zum Artbegriff

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About