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What is Natural Selection?01:32

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Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
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When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
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Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
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Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.
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Natural selection and the reference grain problem.

Pierrick Bourrat1

  • 1Macquarie University, Department of Philosophy, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia; The University of Sydney, Department of Philosophy, Unit for the History and Philosophy of Science & Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
|May 9, 2020
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study addresses the reference grain problem in natural selection, showing how fitness definitions tied to type transmission make fitness description-dependent. This impacts evolutionary theory and proposes potential solutions.

Keywords:
FitnessGrain of descriptionNatural selectionProcessTypes

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Biology
  • Evolutionary Theory

Background:

  • Natural selection is a core concept in evolutionary biology, frequently debated in philosophical contexts.
  • Existing debates often center on causality and distinguishing natural selection from genetic drift.
  • A less-explored issue concerns the descriptive independence of fitness in classical definitions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and analyze the 'reference grain problem' in the context of natural selection.
  • To demonstrate how classical fitness definitions, including type transmission, lead to description-dependent fitness.
  • To explore potential solutions for this newly identified problem.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of classical definitions of fitness in evolutionary biology.
  • Examination of the relationship between fitness, type transmission, and the grain of description.
  • Drawing parallels between the reference grain problem and the reference class problem in probability theory.

Main Results:

  • Classical definitions of fitness, incorporating type transmission, render fitness description-dependent.
  • Altering the level of description for an entity's type can alter its fitness.
  • This description-dependence propagates to the process of natural selection, termed the 'reference grain problem'.

Conclusions:

  • The reference grain problem poses a significant challenge to understanding natural selection.
  • The problem is linked to established issues in probability theory, suggesting avenues for resolution.
  • Tentative solutions are proposed to address the description-dependence of fitness and natural selection.