Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 11, 2026
04:52
Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
1.4K
Rethinking evolutionary individuality.
Marc Ereshefsky1, Makmiller Pedroso2
1Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4; ereshefs@ucalgary.ca.
Summary
Multispecies biofilms challenge traditional views of evolutionary individuality. Their complex organization suggests individuality can arise without strict reproductive criteria, necessitating broader definitions.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Microbiology
- Philosophy of Science
Background:
- Multispecies biofilms exhibit traits like integrity and division of labor, often associated with individuality.
- However, they frequently do not meet standard reproductive criteria for evolutionary individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether multispecies biofilms can be considered evolutionary individuals.
- To explore alternative pathways to evolutionary individuality beyond reproductive processes.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of existing theories of evolutionary individuality.
- Comparative analysis of multispecies biofilms against established individuality criteria.
Main Results:
- Multispecies biofilms possess key characteristics of individuality (e.g., internal integrity, cooperation).
- They lack typical reproductive features like bottlenecks and unified lineages.
Conclusions:
- Evolutionary individuality may be achieved through mechanisms other than strict reproductive processes.
- Current definitions of evolutionary individuality, often based on single-species eukaryotes, are too restrictive.
- A pluralistic and open-ended approach to evolutionary individuality is required.
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