Darwinian dynamics : evolutionary transitions in fitness and individuality
Richard E. Michod (Author)
In this book, Richard Michod offers a fresh, dynamical interpretation of evolution and fitness concepts. He argues that evolution has no enduring products; what matters is the process of genetic change. Whereas many biologists have focused on competition and aggression as determining factors in survival, Michod, by concentrating on the emergence of individuality at new and more complex levels, finds that cooperation plays an even greater role
Print Book, English, ©1999
Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., ©1999
xv, 262 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
9780691026992, 9780691050119, 0691026998, 0691050112
38948118
The language of selection : Plan of the book ; Darwinian dynamics ; Major evolutionary transitions ; Cooperation and conflict ; Fisherian fitness ; Deconstructing fitness ; Selection as fitness covariance ; Mathematical models ; Adequacy criterion for understanding fitness ; Definitions of basic concepts
Origin of fitness : Complementarity ; Spontaneous creation ; Self-replication and the origin of fitness ; Replicator dynamics ; Design analysis of molecular replicator ; Life history evolution ; Survival of the fittest ; Survival of anybody ; Overview of the origin of fitness
The first individuals : Origin of gene networks ; Cooperation and conflict ; Survival of the first ; Evolutionary transactions are inherently nonlinear ; Origin of hypercycles ; Quasispecies ; Population structure ; Kin selection in evolutionary transitions ; Conflict mediation through individuality ; Further evolution of the cell ; Heritable capacities of single cells ; Reconsidering adaptedness and fitness ; Early transitions in evolution
Evolution of interactions : Gene frequency change ; Population growth ; Frequency-dependent selection ; Constant selection ; Adaptive topography ; Frequency dependence decouples fitness in a selection hierarchy ; Selection as covariance ; Fisher’s fundamental theorem ; Evolution in hierarchically structured populations ; Evolution of multicellular organisms ; Kin selection ; Game theory ; Modification of genetic constraints ; Population dynamics and natural selection ; Fitness minima ; Prisoner’s dilemma ; Spatial structure and the evolution of cooperation ; The problem of frequency dependence
Multilevel selection of the organism : A scenario ; A model for the emergence of organisms ; Recurrence equations ; Within-organism mutation selection model ; Mutation rate ; Covariance methods ; The risk of development ; Increase of cooperation ; Level of cooperation among cells within organisms ; Fitness of organisms ; Effect of sex and diploidy on the emerging organism ; Strengths and weaknesses of the model
Rediscovering individuality : Evolutionary individuals ; Two-locus modifier model ; Model parameters ; Equilibria of the system ; Evolution of the germ line ; Evolution of the mutation rate ; Evolution of self-policing ; Evolution of adult size ; Effect of transition on the level of cooperation ; Increase of fitness covariance at organism level ; Heritability of fitness and the evolution of individuality ; Sex and individuality ; Origin of multicellular life ; Transitions in individuality
Fitness explanations : Overview of fitness and natural selection ; Trading fitness and natural selection ; Kinship and population structure ; Conflict mediation ; Reconsidering fitness ; The “tautology problem” ; Surrogates for natural selection ; Evolution of selfing ; Cost of sex ; Immortality, death, and the life cycle ; Kin selection of altruism ; Heterozygote superiority ; Sickle cell anemia ; Darwin’s dilemmas
A philosophy of fitness : Dynamics of design ; What makes biology different? ; Success and design ; Long-term versus short-term measures of fitness ; Darwinian dynamics ; Natural selection as a biological law ; Paradigms for natural selection ; Fitness in Darwinian dynamics ; The insufficiency of individual fitness ; Heritability and natural selection ; Schema for natural selection ; The propensity interpretation of fitness ; Brandon’s approach ; Heritable capacities as component of design ; Overall adaptedness of organisms ; Masking of adaptiveness ; Are adaptation concepts necessary? ; F-fitness and evolutionary explanations ; Explaining fitness
Appendix A: supporting analyses : Statistics of fitness and selection ; Equilibria for modifier model (G = 0) ; Cost of sex in diploids
Appendix B: fitness phrases
Appendix C: notation