September 30, 2010
by peter.taylor
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When Darwin, in the third chapter of On the Origin of Species, explored evolution’s ecological context he was not simply laying out a program of research for a future science now called ecology (see previous post). He was responding to … Continue reading
September 28, 2010
by peter.taylor
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Integrating the structure and dynamics of evolution’s ecological context (see previous posts) remains a neglected project within evolutionary theory. Nevertheless, the different approaches to theorizing ecological organization can still be read in terms of the ways that evolutionary theory fits … Continue reading
September 27, 2010
by peter.taylor
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An example of the contribution of developmental and ecological flexibility to the evolutionary origin of characters (see previous post) involves barn owls recently migrated to Malaysian oil palm plantations. Lenton (1983) describes the owls fifteen years after the first pair bred … Continue reading
September 26, 2010
by peter.taylor
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The last post identified special conditions that increase the chances of natural selection (carefully construed) serving as an explanation of the historical change in the frequency of one character. From a knowledge of biology, we should agree that these special … Continue reading
September 25, 2010
by peter.taylor
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What is needed to demonstrate that some evolutionary change and the resulting characters were produced by a process of natural selection? The short answer (from the previous post): It’s hard work to establish evidence for natural selection. Longer answer: It … Continue reading
September 24, 2010
by peter.taylor
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What is needed to demonstrate that change and the resulting characters were produced by a process of natural selection? (Recall the end of the last post in the series: “we need not to assume natural selection when we speculate or … Continue reading
September 23, 2010
by peter.taylor
2 Comments
As a form of historical explanation, natural selection is very restrictive; the world and its history must have a particular and atypical shape to fit it (Taylor 1987). To develop this claim, let me start with Darwin himself, who, in … Continue reading
September 22, 2010
by peter.taylor
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In the third chapter of On the Origin of Species, Darwin introduced his concept of natural selection by noting that, given the struggle for existence, “any variation, however slight and from whatever cause proceeding, if it is in any degree … Continue reading
September 19, 2010
by peter.taylor
1 Comment
By the 1950s the “neo-Darwinian” or “modern synthesis” in evolutionary theory had discounted or even rejected the significance to evolution of characters acquired in an organism’s lifetime. It became taboo to express sympathy with Lamarck. The irony is that the … Continue reading
September 9, 2010
by peter.taylor
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Human quadrupeds: Social infrastructure (or its absence) makes genetic conditions hardwired ‘Family That Walks on All Fours’ is a popular science documentary on the United States Public Broadcasting Network (2006). Five offspring of a couple in a remote area of … Continue reading