scholarly journals The case for species selection

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Causal Structure ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Hierarchical Systems ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Species Sorting ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Microevolutionary Change ◽  
Mere Existence ◽  
Level Of Selection ◽  
Organismal Fitness

AbstractThe mere existence of speciation and extinction make macro-evolutionary processes possible. Speciation and extinction introduce discontinuities in the microevolutionary change within lineages by initiating, disrupting, and terminating the continuity of species lineages. Within a clade, speciation and extinction become potent means of macroevolution in and of themselves. This process, termed species selection, is a macroevolutionary analogue of natural selection, with species playing an analogous part akin to that played by organisms in microevolution. That said, it has proven difficult to think about levels of selection. The concept of species sorting was introduced to help our thinking on this issue by identifying two aspects inherent in hierarchical systems can confuse our attempts to understand them: uncertainty in the level that selection acts and uncertainty about if the pattern of selection is in fact caused at all. Thanks to insights from evolutionary transitions in individuality, we now know more about how to identify the level of selection and how to parse the causal structure in hierarchical evolutionary circumstances. We know that if the fitness of organisms causes the fitness of more inclusive species then they must covary. However, there is no evidence of such a covariance between fitnesses at these two levels. This covariance is just not observed; neither between cells and organisms nor between organisms and species. Rather, speciation and extinction rates appear to be completely divorced from organismal fitness. With this insight, the concept of species sorting shrinks so that it only covers the two processes of species selection and drift. I argue that we are better off focusing on understanding the processes of species selection and drift and that there is therefore no further need for the concept of species sorting.

scholarly journals Geographic contingency, not species sorting, dominates macroevolutionary dynamics in an extinct clade of neogastropods (Volutospina; Volutidae)

Paleobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Dana S. Friend ◽  
Brendan M. Anderson ◽  
Warren D. Allmon
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Species Sorting ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Geographic Range Size ◽  
Speciation Rates ◽  
Planktotrophic Larvae

Abstract Rates of speciation and extinction are often linked to many ecological factors, traits (emergent and nonemergent) such as environmental tolerance, body size, feeding type, and geographic range. Marine gastropods in particular have been used to examine the role of larval dispersal in speciation. However, relatively few studies have been conducted placing larval modes in species-level phylogenetic context. Those that have, have not incorporated fossil data, while landmark macroevolutionary studies on fossil clades have not considered both phylogenetic context and net speciation (speciation–extinction) rates. This study utilizes Eocene volutid Volutospina species from the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain and the Hampshire Basin, U.K., to explore the relationships among larval mode, geographic range, and duration. Based on the phylogeny of these Volutospina, we calculated speciation and extinction rates in order to compare the macroevolutionary effects of larval mode. Species with planktotrophic larvae had a median duration of 9.7 Myr, which compared significantly to 4.7 Myr for those with non-planktotrophic larvae. Larval mode did not significantly factor into geographic-range size, but U.S. and U.K. species do differ, indicating a locality-specific component to maximum geographic-range size. Non-planktotrophs (NPTs)were absent among the Volutospina species during the Paleocene–early Eocene. The relative proportions of NPTs increased in the early middle Eocene, and the late Eocene was characterized by disappearance of planktotrophs (PTs). The pattern of observed lineage diversity shows an increasing preponderance of NPTs; however, this is clearly driven by a dramatic extinction of PTs, rather than higher NPT speciation rates during the late Eocene. This study adds nuance to paleontology's understanding of the macroevolutionary consequences of larval mode.

scholarly journals Identifying Causes of Social Evolution: Contextual Analysis, the Price Approach, and Multilevel Selection

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Thies ◽  
Richard A. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Kin Selection ◽  
Causal Structure ◽  
Multilevel Selection ◽  
Contextual Analysis ◽  
Price Equation ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Selection Theory ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Multilevel Selection Theory ◽  
The Individual

Kin selection theory and multilevel selection theory are distinct approaches to explaining the evolution of social traits. The latter claims that it is useful to regard selection as a process that can occur on multiple levels of organisation such as the level of individuals and the level of groups. This is reflected in a decomposition of fitness into an individual component and a group component. This multilevel view is central to understanding and characterising evolutionary transitions in individuality, e.g., from unicellular life to multicellular organisms, but currently suffers from the lack of a consistent, quantifiable measure. Specifically, the two major statistical tools to determine the coefficients of such a decomposition, the multilevel Price equation and contextual analysis, are inconsistent and may disagree on whether group selection is present. Here we show that the reason for the discrepancies is that underlying the multilevel Price equation and contextual analysis are two non-equivalent causal models for the generation of individual fitness effects (thus leaving different “remainders” explained by group effects). While the multilevel Price equation assumes that the individual effect of a trait determines an individual's relative success within a group, contextual analysis posits that the individual effect is context-independent. Since these different assumptions reflect claims about the causal structure of the system, the correct approach cannot be determined on general theoretical or statistical grounds but must be identified by experimental intervention. We outline interventions that reveal the underlying causal structure and thus facilitate choosing the appropriate approach. We note that kin selection theory with its focus on the individual is immune to such inconsistency because it does not address causal structure with respect to levels of organisation. In contrast, our analysis of the two approaches to measuring group selection demonstrates that multilevel selection theory adds meaningful (falsifiable) causal structure to explain the sources of individual fitness and thereby constitutes a proper refinement of kin selection theory. Taking such refined causal structure into account seems indispensable for studying evolutionary transitions in individuality because these transitions are characterised by changes in the selection pressures that act on the respective levels.

scholarly journals Partition among niche and neutral explanations for metacommunity patterns of fish from Cerrado streams

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Bernardi Vieira ◽  
Liriann Chrisley Da Silva ◽  
Jessica Silva ◽  
Lilian Casatti ◽  
Renato de Romero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutral Theory ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Mass Effect ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Catchment Basin ◽  
Species Sorting ◽  
Neutral Processes ◽  
Landscape Unit ◽  
Metacommunity Structure

The Species-Sorting concept, one of the models developed to explain patterns in metacommunity structure, suggests that relationships between biological communities and environmental conditions is the basic means of the species selection processes. A second concept is Neutral Theory, and the idea of neutral dynamics underpinning metacommunity structure, cannot be overlooked. The third mechanism is the Mass-Effect concept, that focuses on the interaction between environmental condition and neutral effects. In the present study, we partitioned fish communities in streams between niche and neutral theory concepts, identifying the best representation of metacommunity structure, and assessed if linear and hydrographic distance were equivalent in the representation of neutral processes. The result points to the importance of species sorting mechanisms in structuring fish communities with neutral processes best represented by the linear distances. These results are important for the fish fauna conservation leading to three considerations: (i) the variation of the landscape and habitat is important for the stream fish, (ii) the natural barriers are an important landscape component to be considered, and (iii) the artificial barriers (dams and impoundments) need to be planned taking in account the catchment basin as the landscape unit.

scholarly journals Stochastic character mapping of state-dependent diversification reveals the tempo of evolutionary decline in self-compatible Onagraceae lineages

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Freyman ◽  
Sebastian Höhna
Keyword(s):  
Time Lag ◽  
State Transitions ◽  
Character State ◽  
Self Incompatibility ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Diversification Rates ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Loss Of Self ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Character Mapping

AbstractA major goal of evolutionary biology is to identify key evolutionary transitions that correspond with shifts in speciation and extinction rates. Stochastic character mapping has become the primary method used to infer the timing, nature, and number of character state transitions along the branches of a phylogeny. The method is widely employed for standard substitution models of character evolution. However, current approaches cannot be used for models that specifically test the association of character state transitions with shifts in diversification rates such as state-dependent speciation and extinction (SSE) models. Here we introduce a new stochastic character mapping algorithm that overcomes these limitations, and apply it to study mating system evolution over a time-calibrated phylogeny of the plant family Onagraceae. Utilizing a hidden state SSE model we tested the association of the loss of self-incompatibility with shifts in diversification rates. We found that self-compatible lineages have higher extinction rates and lower net-diversification rates compared to self-incompatible lineages. Furthermore, these results provide empirical evidence for the “senescing” diversification rates predicted in highly selfing lineages: our mapped character histories show that the loss of self-incompatibility is followed by a short-term spike in speciation rates, which declines after a time lag of several million years resulting in negative net-diversification. Lineages that have long been self-compatible, such as Fuchsia and Clarkia, are in a previously unrecognized and ongoing evolutionary decline. Our results demonstrate that stochastic character mapping of SSE models is a powerful tool for examining the timing and nature of both character state transitions and shifts in diversification rates over the phylogeny.

scholarly journals The measurement of species selection on evolving characters

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Simpson
Keyword(s):  
General Framework ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Independent Evolution ◽  
Microevolutionary Change ◽  
The Way

AbstractMany processes can contribute to macroevolutionary change. This fact is the source of the wide variety of macroevolutionary change across time and taxa as well as the bane of pale-obiological research trying to understand how macroevolution works. Here, I present a general framework for understanding the variety of macroevolutionary phenomena. Based on Price’s theorem, this framework provides a simple quantitative means to understand (1) the macroevolutionary processes that are possible and (2) the way those processes interact with each other. The major qualitative features of macroevolution depend first on the number of processes that co-occur and then on the magnitudes and evolutionary directions of those processes. Species selection, the major macroevolutionary process, consists of patterns of differential rates of speciation and extinction. Its macroevolutionary efficacy depends on the presences of sufficient microevolutionary change. Conversely, microevolutionary change is limited in power by the independent evolution of species, and species selection acting across populations of species can amplify or suppress microevolution. Non-trends may result if species selection sufficiently neutralizes microevolution and may yield stable macroevolutionary patterns over many millions of years.

A geographic test of species selection using planktonic foraminifera during the Cretaceous/Paleogene mass extinction

Paleobiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 426-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew G. Powell ◽  
Johnryan MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Planktonic Foraminifera ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Deep Sea Sediment ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Level Of Selection ◽  
Very High

Species selection has received a great deal of theoretical attention but it has rarely been empirically tested. It is important to determine the level of selection that operated during a particular extinction event because it can help distinguish between traits that were actually responsible for extinction and those that were merely correlated with it. Here, we present a test that can help distinguish between organismal and species-level selection, which we demonstrate using the high-resolution fossil record of planktonic foraminifera species recorded in deep-sea sediment cores. Our test examines the fate of survivors and victims during the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) mass extinction within single geographic regions, where all individuals experience the same selection pressures. Selection at the organismal level implies that individual members of surviving species are more fit than those of victimized species, and therefore should be more likely to survive in affected areas; conversely, selection at the species level implies individuals will suffer equally within an affected area. We find that survivors of the mass extinction suffered very high extirpation rates in cores where the overall extinction rate was high, indicating that individual members of the surviving species were generally no more fit than individual members of extinct species. Rather, these species were able to survive because they possessed advantageous species-level traits, such as larger geographic ranges and greater abundances than victimized species. This geographic pattern of extirpation suggests that selection operated at the species, rather than organismal, level during the K/Pg mass extinction of planktonic foraminifera.

scholarly journals PARTITIONING AMONG NICHE AND NEUTRAL EXPLANATIONS FOR METACOMMUNITY PATTERNS IN CERRADO STREAM FISH COMMUNITIES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Bernardi Vieira ◽  
Liriann Chrisley Nascimento da Silva ◽  
Lilian Casatti ◽  
Renato Romero ◽  
Francisco Leonardo Tejerina Garro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neutral Theory ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
Mass Effect ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Species Sorting ◽  
Biological Communities ◽  
Neutral Processes ◽  
Selection Processes ◽  
Metacommunity Structure

AbstractThe Species Sorting concept, one of the models developed to explain patterns in metacommunity structure, suggests that relationships between biological communities and environmental conditions is the basic means of the species selection processes. A second concept is neutral theory, and the idea of neutral dynamics underpinning metacommunity structure, cannot be overlooked. The third mechanism is the Mass Effect concept, that focuses on the interaction between environmental condition and neutral effects. In the present study, we partitioned fish communities in streams between niche and neutral theory concepts, identifying the best representation of metacommunity structure, and assessed if linear and hydrographic distance were equivalent in the representation of neutral processes. The result points to the importance of species sorting mechanisms in structuring fish communities with neutral processes best represented by the linear distances. On the other hand, the best representation of species’ niches was achieved with average values and variance of the local conditions.

A diffusion model of species selection

Paleobiology ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montgomery Slatkin
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Model ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Simple Assumption ◽  
Phenotypic Changes ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Speciation Process ◽  
Phenotypic Character

A diffusion model of the distribution of a phenotypic character in a group of species is developed and analyzed. The model incorporates the combined effects of phyletic evolution, speciation and extinction. Directed speciation is modeled by assuming there is some bias to phenotypic changes during speciation. Species selection is modeled by assuming there is some dependence of either speciation or extinction rates on the phenotypic character. Three examples are analyzed to illustrate the use of the model. A model of completely random changes due to both phyletic evolution and speciation shows how between-species differences are established. A model of directed speciation due to multiplicative changes during speciation shows how a simple assumption about the speciation process can produce macroevolutionary trends. A model of species selection due to differences in extinction rates shows how the efficacy of species selection depends on the between-species variance produced both by speciation and by phyletic evolution.

Special, radical, failure of reduction in psychiatry

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Ross
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Causal Structure ◽  
Network Models ◽  
Gambling Addiction ◽  
Brain Disorder ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Special Radical ◽  
Intentional Relationships

AbstractUse of network models to identify causal structure typically blocks reduction across the sciences. Entanglement of mental processes with environmental and intentional relationships, as Borsboom et al. argue, makes reduction of psychology to neuroscience particularly implausible. However, in psychiatry, a mental disorder can involve no brain disorder at all, even when the former crucially depends on aspects of brain structure. Gambling addiction constitutes an example.

Blocking Is Sensitive to Causal Structure in 4-Year-Old and 8-Year-Old Children

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Beckers ◽  
Uschi Van den Broeck ◽  
Marij Renne ◽  
Stefaan Vandorpe ◽  
Jan De Houwer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Associative Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Causal Structure ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Contingency Learning

Abstract. In a contingency learning task, 4-year-old and 8-year-old children had to predict the outcome displayed on the back of a card on the basis of cues presented on the front. The task was embedded in either a causal or a merely predictive scenario. Within this task, either a forward blocking or a backward blocking procedure was implemented. Blocking occurred in the causal but not in the predictive scenario. Moreover, blocking was affected by the scenario to the same extent in both age groups. The pattern of results was similar for forward and backward blocking. These results suggest that even young children are sensitive to the causal structure of a contingency learning task and that the occurrence of blocking in such a task defies an explanation in terms of associative learning theory.

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