The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution

Article


Dickins, Thomas E. and Rahman, Qazi 2012. The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution. Proc. R. Soc. B. 279 (1740), pp. 2913-2921.
AuthorsDickins, Thomas E. and Rahman, Qazi
Abstract

In recent years, a number of researchers have advocated extending the modern synthesis in evolutionary
biology. One of the core arguments made in favour of an extension comes from work on soft inheritance
systems, including transgenerational epigenetic effects, cultural transmission and niche construction. In
this study, we outline this claim and then take issue with it. We argue that the focus on soft inheritance
has led to a conflation of proximate and ultimate causation, which has in turn obscured key questions
about biological organization and calibration across the life span to maximize average lifetime inclusive
fitness. We illustrate this by presenting hypotheses that we believe incorporate the core phenomena of
soft inheritance and will aid in understanding them.

Keywordsextended evolutionary synthesis (EES); epigenetic inheritance; soft inheritance; proximate and ultimate causation
JournalProc. R. Soc. B
Journal citation279 (1740), pp. 2913-2921
ISSN1471-2954
Year2012
PublisherRoyal Society
Accepted author manuscript
License
CC BY-ND
Web address (URL)http://hdl.handle.net/10552/1604
Publication dates
Print16 May 2012
Publication process dates
Deposited06 Jun 2012
Additional information

Citation:
Dickins, T.E. and Rahman, Q. (2012) 'The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis and the role of soft inheritance in evolution', Proc R Soc B, published online 16 May 2012, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0273.

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