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The purpose of adaptation

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Gardner_2017_Purpose_adaptation_20170005_CC.pdf (360.5Kb)
Date
06/10/2017
Author
Gardner, Andy
Funder
NERC
Grant ID
NE/K009524/1
Keywords
Natural selection
Fundamental theorem
Darwinism
Inclusive fitness
Social evolution
Superorganism
QH301 Biology
QH426 Genetics
T-DAS
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Abstract
A central feature of Darwin’s theory of natural selection is that it explains the purpose of biological adaptation. Here, I: emphasise the scientific importance of understanding what adaptations are for, in terms of facilitating the derivation of empirically-testable predictions; discuss the population genetical basis for Darwin’s theory of the purpose of adaptation, with reference to the “fundamental theorem of natural selection”; and show that a deeper understanding of the purpose of adaptation is achieved in the context of social evolution, with reference to inclusive fitness and superorganisms.
Citation
Gardner , A 2017 , ' The purpose of adaptation ' , Interface Focus , vol. 7 , no. 5 , 20170005 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2017.0005
Publication
Interface Focus
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2017.0005
ISSN
2042-8898
Type
Journal article
Rights
& 2017 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
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  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11524

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