查看更多>>摘要：On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Society for the Study of Evolution， I look back at the so-called "evolutionary synthesis，" to which many of the Society's founders and prominent founding members were committed。 An important plank in the synthesis platform had to do with the importance of selection relative to mutation。 Of course， there is no evolutionary change without mutation， and no adaptive evolutionary change without selection。 So how could selection be more important than mutation， or vice-versa? At issue was whether adaptive evolutionary change is initiated and directed by selection， or by the appearance of new advantageous variation。 Proponents of the synthesis took the position that Darwin himself had defended， namely that adaptive evolutionary change is initiated and directed by natural selection on standing variation， no new variation， no mutation， required。 Natural selection is， in this sense， not just "creative，" but is the creative agent of evolutionary change。 In taking this extreme position， proponents of the synthesis were reacting to the equally extreme position of Mendelian-mutationists， who held that adaptive evolutionary change always commences with， and is directed by， the appearance of new advantageous mutations， and for whom mutation is the creative agent of evolutionary change。 I conclude with some comments on "relative significance" issues and controversies， and respects in which the relative significance issues at the heart of the synthesis persist。
查看更多>>摘要：As we look to the next 75 years， I recount how the sociopolitical milieu in which the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) and the journal Evolution were formed in 1947 was a "problem of interaction。"
查看更多>>摘要：Why do infectious diseases erupt in some host populations and not others? This question has spawned independent fields of research in evolution， ecology， public health， agriculture， and conservation。 In the search for environmental and genetic factors that predict variation in parasitism， one hypothesis stands out for its generality and longevity: genetically homogeneous host populations are more likely to experience severe parasitism than genetically diverse populations。 In this perspective piece， I draw on overlapping ideas from evolutionary biology， agriculture， and conservation to capture the far-reaching implications of the link between genetic diversity and disease。 I first summarize the development of this hypothesis and the results of experimental tests。 Given the convincing support for the protective effect of genetic diversity， I then address the following questions: (1) Where has this idea been put to use， in a basic and applied sense， and how can we better use genetic diversity to limit disease spread? (2) What new hypotheses does the established disease-diversity relationship compel us to test? I conclude that monitoring， preserving， and augmenting genetic diversity is one of our most promising evolutionarily informed strategies for buffering wild， domesticated， and human populations against future outbreaks。
查看更多>>摘要：Since the modern synthesis， the fitness effects of mutations and epistasis have been central yet provocative concepts in evolutionary and population genetics。 Studies of how the interactions between parcels of genetic information can change as a function of environmental context have added a layer of complexity to these discussions。 Here， I introduce the "mutation effect reaction norm" (Mu-RN)， a new instrument through which one can analyze the phenotypic consequences of mutations and interactions across environmental contexts。 It embodies the fusion of measurements of genetic interactions with the reaction norm， a classic depiction of the performance of genotypes across environments。 I demonstrate the utility of the Mu-RN through a case study: the signature of a "compensatory ratchet" mutation that undermines reverse evolution of antimicrobial resistance。 In closing， I argue that the mutation effect reaction norm may help us resolve the dynamism and unpredictability of evolution， with implications for theoretical biology， biotechnology， and public health。
查看更多>>摘要：Behavior is one of the major architects of evolution: by behaviorally modifying how they interact with their environments， organisms can influence natural selection， amplifying it in some cases and dampening it in others。 In one of the earliest issues of Evolution， Charles Bogert proposed that regulatory behaviors (namely thermoregulation) shield organisms from selection and limit physiological evolution。 Here， I trace the history surrounding the origin of this concept (now known as the "Bogert effect" or "behavioral inertia")， and its implications for physiological and evolutionary research throughout the 20th century。 A key follow-up study in the early 21st century galvanized renewed interest in Bogert's classic ideas， and established a focus on slowdowns in the rate of evolution in response to regulatory behaviors。 I illustrate recent progress on the Bogert effect in evolutionary research， and discuss the ecological variables that predict whether and how strongly the phenomenon unfolds。 Based on these discoveries， I provide hypotheses for the Bogert effect across several scales: patterns of trait evolution within and among groups of species， spatial effects on the phenomenon， and its importance for speciation。 I also discuss the inherent link between behavioral inertia and behavioral drive through an empirical case study linking the phenomena。 Modern comparative approaches can help put the macroevolutionary implications of behavioral buffering to the test: I describe progress to date， and areas ripe for future investigation。 Despite many advances， bridging microevolutionary processes with macroevolutionary patterns remains a persistent gap in our understanding of the Bogert effect， leaving wide open many avenues for deeper exploration。
查看更多>>摘要：The first Editor of Evolution was Ernst Mayr。 His foreword to the first issue of Evolution published in 1947 framed evolution as a "problem of interaction" that was just beginning to be studied in this broad context。 First， I explore progress and prospects on understanding the subsidiary interactions identified by Mayr， including interactions between parts of organisms， between individuals and populations， between species， and between the organism and its abiotic environment。 Mayr's overall "problem of interaction" framework is examined in the context of coevolution within and among levels of biological organization。 This leads to a comparison in the relative roles of biotic versus abiotic agents of selection and fluctuating versus directional selection， followed by stabilizing selection in shaping the genomic architecture of adaptation。 Oligogenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by fluctuating selection and biotic selection。 Conversely， polygenic architectures may be typical for traits shaped more by directional followed by stabilizing selection and abiotic selection。 The distribution of effect sizes and turnover dynamics of adaptive alleles in these scenarios deserves further study。 Second， I review two case studies on the evolution of acquired toxicity in animals， one involving cardiac glycosides obtained from plants and one involving bacterial virulence factors horizontally transferred to animals。 The approaches used in these studies and the results gained directly flow from Mayr's vision of an evolutionary biology that revolves around the "problem of interaction。"
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Oxford Univ Press