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The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

Published on: May 13, 2022

Novelties that change carrying capacity.

Douglas H Erwin¹

¹Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, District of Columbia 20013‐7012, USA. erwind@commat;si.edu

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution

|July 29, 2011

Summary

Evolutionary inventions, not just innovations, drive major ecological change. These novelties create new environments and increase ecosystem carrying capacity, impacting evolutionary and ecological processes.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Paleontology
Ecology

Background:

Comparative developmental studies offer insights into morphological changes in animals and plants.
Understanding the establishment and abundance of novel morphologies is crucial for studying evolutionary innovation and fossil preservation.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore how evolutionary novelties become established and influence ecological processes.
To differentiate between evolutionary innovation and invention and their roles in ecological transformation.

Main Methods:

The study reviews existing literature on evolutionary developmental biology and paleontology.
It applies concepts from the history of technology (innovation vs. invention) to evolutionary biology.

Main Results:

Evolutionary novelties can disappear, lead to new species, or become ecologically significant.
Only ecologically significant novelties are commonly preserved in the fossil record.
Specific evolutionary inventions drive ecological transformation and increase ecosystem carrying capacity.

Conclusions:

Evolutionary inventions are key drivers of ecological transformation.
These inventions create environments for themselves and other organisms through ecological spillover.
The concept of "carrying capacity" in ecosystems can be expanded to include the impact of evolutionary inventions.