The extended evolutionary synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution

Dickins, Thomas E.; Rahman, Qazi

doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0273

Cited by 157 publications

(115 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Plasticity is typically considered to be a genetically specified, and hence evolvable, trait that allows individuals to match phenotypes to local conditions [91,92], and the same logic is used to accommodate non-genetic inheritance and niche construction in evolutionary theory (e.g. [88,93]). …”

Section: A Traditional Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions

et al. 2015

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Scientific activities take place within the structured sets of ideas and assumptions that define a field and its practices. The conceptual framework of evolutionary biology emerged with the Modern Synthesis in the early twentieth century and has since expanded into a highly successful research program to explore the processes of diversification and adaptation. Nonetheless, the ability of that framework satisfactorily to accommodate the rapid advances in developmental biology, genomics and ecology has been questioned. We review some of these arguments, focusing on literatures (evo-devo, developmental plasticity, inclusive inheritance and niche construction) whose implications for evolution can be interpreted in two ways-one that preserves the internal structure of contemporary evolutionary theory and one that points towards an alternative conceptual framework. The latter, which we label the 'extended evolutionary synthesis' (EES), retains the fundaments of evolutionary theory, but differs in its emphasis on the role of constructive processes in development and evolution, and reciprocal portrayals of causation. In the EES, developmental processes, operating through developmental bias, inclusive inheritance and niche construction, share responsibility for the direction and rate of evolution, the origin of character variation and organism-environment complementarity. We spell out the structure, core assumptions and novel predictions of the EES, and show how it can be deployed to stimulate and advance research in those fields that study or use evolutionary biology.

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Section: A Traditional Interpretationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions

et al. 2015

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“…Cultural evolution researchers are sometimes accused of making overblown claims about the causal role of culture in explaining human behaviour (Dickins and Rahman 2012;El Mouden et al 2014;Scott-Phillips et al 2011). This is typically placed within the context of the proximate-ultimate distinction (Mayr 1961;Tinbergen 1963).…”

Section: Is Culture Proximate or Ultimate?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers coming from sociobiology and evolutionary psychology have typically argued that culture is proximate: a mechanism set up by genes to maximise inclusive fitness (Dickins and Rahman 2012;El Mouden et al 2014;Scott-Phillips et al 2011). There is merit in this argument: after all, the capacity for culture evolved genetically because it increased inclusive fitness, as explored by numerous gene-culture coevolution analyses Richerson 1985, 1995).…”

Section: Is Culture Proximate or Ultimate?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural Evolution: A Review of Theory, Findings and Controversies

2015

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The last two decades have seen an explosion in research analysing cultural change as a Darwinian evolutionary process. Here I provide an overview of the theory of cultural evolution, including its intellectual history, major theoretical tenets and methods, key findings, and prominent criticisms and controversies. 'Culture' is defined as socially transmitted information. Cultural evolution is the theory that this socially transmitted information evolves in the manner laid out by Darwin in The Origin of Species, i.e. it comprises a system of variation, differential fitness and inheritance. Cultural evolution is not, however, neo-Darwinian, in that many of the details of genetic evolution may not apply, such as particulate inheritance and random mutation. Following a brief history of this idea, I review theoretical and empirical studies of cultural microevolution, which entails both selection-like processes wherein some cultural variants are more likely to be acquired and transmitted than others, plus transformative processes that alter cultural information during transmission. I also review how phylogenetic methods have been used to reconstruct cultural macroevolution, including the evolution of languages, technology and social organisation. Finally, I discuss recent controversies and debates, including the extent to which culture is proximate or ultimate, the relative role of selective and transformative processes in cultural evolution, the basis of cumulative cultural evolution, the evolution of large-scale human cooperation, and whether social learning is learned or innate. I conclude by highlighting the value of using evolutionary methods to study culture for both the social and biological sciences.

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“…Collectively, these considerations would redefine what has been known to date as evolution and inheritance (Jablonka & Raz 2009). Notwithstanding, Dickins and Rahman (2012) in their strong and solid defense of the modern synthesis argue that epigenetic inheritance has place in the modern synthesis because epigenetic processes are proximate mechanisms designed to calibrate organisms to stochastic environments and these mechanisms are under genetic control. Epigenetic mechanisms cannot be considered as ultimate causes nor how DNA or genes work, for instance.…”

Section: Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Changes in the concepts of evolution require population demonstration of the effects of epigenetic inheritance and so far, there is no evidence presented about it. The linking and grooming behaviour in rodents could be an adaptation to a stressful situation in order to make a profit, in this case a faster maturation and reproduction of their puppies (calibration) (Dickins & Rahman 2012).…”

Section: Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epigenetics: from the past to the present

Villota-Salazar

Mendoza‐Mendoza

González-Prieto

2016

Frontiers in Life Science

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The definition of epigenetics is still under intense debate; however, its concept has evolved since it was originally introduced in 1939 by Conrad Hal Waddington as a way to reconcile antagonistic views between the school of preformationism and the school of epigenesis. The characterization of a large number of phenomena that diverge from the dogmas of classical genetics, and the discovery of the molecular mechanisms through which these phenomena occur, has given rise to a new area of study with important implications for biological sciences. Interactions between the environment and the DNA through modifications on the chromatin are not only responsible for the expression of a normal phenotype, these may be involved in the development of various pathologies. The epigenome, as the bridge between the genome and the phenotype, is no doubt one of the most interesting current ideas in genetics and is so revolutionary that it may change our present notions about inheritance and evolution. In this review, we made a compilation of the most important events in the history of epigenetics, its implications and some perspectives to the future.

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The extended evolutionary synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution

Cited by 157 publications

References 57 publications

The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions

The extended evolutionary synthesis: its structure, assumptions and predictions

Cultural Evolution: A Review of Theory, Findings and Controversies

Epigenetics: from the past to the present

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