The Theory of Evolution: Principles, Concepts, and Assumptions

Darwin’s nineteenth-century writings laid the foundations for modern studies of evolution, and theoretical developments in the mid-twentieth century fostered the Modern Synthesis. Since that time, a great deal of new biological knowledge has been generated, including details of the genetic code, lateral gene transfer, and developmental constraints. Our improved understanding of these and many other phenomena have been working their way into evolutionary theory, changing it and improving its correspondence with evolution in nature. And while the study of evolution is thriving both as a basic science to understand the world and in its applications in agriculture, medicine, and public health, the broad scope of evolution—operating across genes, whole organisms, clades, and ecosystems—presents a significant challenge for researchers seeking to integrate abundant new data and content into a general theory of evolution.

This book gives us that framework and synthesis for the twenty-first century. The Theory of Evolution presents a series of chapters by experts seeking this integration by addressing the current state of affairs across numerous fields within evolutionary biology, ranging from biogeography to multilevel selection, speciation, and macroevolutionary theory. By presenting current syntheses of evolution’s theoretical foundations and their growth in light of new datasets and analyses, this collection will enhance future research and understanding.

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The Theory of Evolution: Principles, Concepts, and Assumptions

Darwin’s nineteenth-century writings laid the foundations for modern studies of evolution, and theoretical developments in the mid-twentieth century fostered the Modern Synthesis. Since that time, a great deal of new biological knowledge has been generated, including details of the genetic code, lateral gene transfer, and developmental constraints. Our improved understanding of these and many other phenomena have been working their way into evolutionary theory, changing it and improving its correspondence with evolution in nature. And while the study of evolution is thriving both as a basic science to understand the world and in its applications in agriculture, medicine, and public health, the broad scope of evolution—operating across genes, whole organisms, clades, and ecosystems—presents a significant challenge for researchers seeking to integrate abundant new data and content into a general theory of evolution.

This book gives us that framework and synthesis for the twenty-first century. The Theory of Evolution presents a series of chapters by experts seeking this integration by addressing the current state of affairs across numerous fields within evolutionary biology, ranging from biogeography to multilevel selection, speciation, and macroevolutionary theory. By presenting current syntheses of evolution’s theoretical foundations and their growth in light of new datasets and analyses, this collection will enhance future research and understanding.

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The Theory of Evolution: Principles, Concepts, and Assumptions

The Theory of Evolution: Principles, Concepts, and Assumptions

The Theory of Evolution: Principles, Concepts, and Assumptions

The Theory of Evolution: Principles, Concepts, and Assumptions

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Overview

Darwin’s nineteenth-century writings laid the foundations for modern studies of evolution, and theoretical developments in the mid-twentieth century fostered the Modern Synthesis. Since that time, a great deal of new biological knowledge has been generated, including details of the genetic code, lateral gene transfer, and developmental constraints. Our improved understanding of these and many other phenomena have been working their way into evolutionary theory, changing it and improving its correspondence with evolution in nature. And while the study of evolution is thriving both as a basic science to understand the world and in its applications in agriculture, medicine, and public health, the broad scope of evolution—operating across genes, whole organisms, clades, and ecosystems—presents a significant challenge for researchers seeking to integrate abundant new data and content into a general theory of evolution.

This book gives us that framework and synthesis for the twenty-first century. The Theory of Evolution presents a series of chapters by experts seeking this integration by addressing the current state of affairs across numerous fields within evolutionary biology, ranging from biogeography to multilevel selection, speciation, and macroevolutionary theory. By presenting current syntheses of evolution’s theoretical foundations and their growth in light of new datasets and analyses, this collection will enhance future research and understanding.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780226671338
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication date: 04/03/2020
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 464
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

Samuel M. Scheiner is a theoretical biologist with work in various areas of evolution, ecology, and general biology. He is coeditor, most recently, of The Theory of Ecology, also published by the University of Chicago Press. David P. Mindell is an evolutionary biologist and visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. He is the author of The Evolving World: Evolution in Everyday Life.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors


Chapter 1: The Theory of Evolution

David P. Mindell and Samuel M. Scheiner


Part 1: Overarching Issues


Chapter 2: Historicizing the Synthesis: Critical Insights and Pivotal Moments in the Long History of Evolutionary Theory

Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis

Chaper 3: Philosophy of Evolutionary Theory: Risky Inferences of Process from Pattern

Patrick Forber

Chapter 4: Modeling Evolutionary Theories

Patrick C. Phillips

Chapter 5: Traits and Homology

James O. McInerney

Chapter 6: The Nature of Species in Evolution

Marco J. Nathan and Joel Cracraft

Chapter 7: The Tree of Life and the Episodic Evolutionary Synthesis

Maureen Kearney

Chapter 8: Situating Evolutionary Developmental Biology in Evolutionary Theory

Alan C. Love


Part 2: Constitutive Theories


Chapter 9: The Inductive Theory of Natural Selection

Steven A. Frank and Gordon A. Fox

Chapter 10: The Theory of Multilevel Selection

Charles Goodnight

Chapter 11: The Demography of Fitness: Life Histories and Their Evolution

Gordon A. Fox and Samuel M. Scheiner

Chapter 12: The Theory of Ecological Specialization

Timothée Poisot

Chapter 13: The Theory of the Evolution of Phenotypic Plasticity

Samuel M. Scheiner

Chapter 14: The Evolution of Sex

Maria E. Orive

Chapter 15: Speciation

Scott V. Edwards, Robin Hopkins, and James Mallet

Chapter 16: The Theory of Evolutionary Biogeography

Rosemary G. Gillespie, Jun Y. Lim, and Andrew J. Rominger

Chapter 17: Macroevolutionary Theory

David Jablonski


List of References

Index

 

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