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Non-genetic inheritance: Evolution above the organismal level.
Anton V Sukhoverkhov1, Nathalie Gontier2
1Department of Philosophy, Kuban State Agrarian University, Kalinina St. 13, 350044, Krasnodar, Russia.
Bio Systems
|December 14, 2020
Summary
This study expands evolutionary theory beyond individual traits to community systems, introducing concepts like the
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Systems biology
- Social sciences
Background:
- The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis primarily focuses on individual traits, including genetic and non-genetic inheritance.
- It has a limited focus on community-level traits that shape transgenerational biological, ecological, social, and cultural systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To extend evolutionary research by analyzing phenomena above the organismal level, focusing on community system traits.
- To revise major transitions in evolution by examining the interplay between community/social and individual traits.
- To incorporate non-genetic inheritance mechanisms like horizontal, oblique, and reverse information transmission, including the 'offspring effect'.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of community systems (biofilms, ant colonies, holobionts, human societies) composed of interacting populations.
- Examination of the interplay between community/social traits and individual traits, including downward and upward causation.
- Investigation of reticulate interactions and causation, and non-genetic 'scaffoldings', 'constraints', and 'affordances' provided by community systems.
Main Results:
- Community systems exhibit synergetic/organizational traits that influence evolution above the organismal level.
- The interplay between community and individual traits drives evolutionary processes, involving top-down regulation.
- Non-genetic inheritance, including the 'offspring effect', plays a crucial role in cumulative and distributed development, explaining language evolution.
Conclusions:
- Evolutionary theory must incorporate community-level dynamics and non-genetic inheritance for a comprehensive understanding.
- Community systems act as crucial environments providing non-genetic influences on evolutionary trajectories.
- The proposed framework offers new perspectives on major evolutionary transitions and the origins of complex traits like language.
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