The Croonian Lecture, 1991. Genostasis and the limits to evolution

Author:

Abstract

The Darwinian explanation for evolution is that it is the outcome of the interaction between genetic variation and natural selection. There is now good evidence for both the existence of genetic variation and the occurrence of natural selection, the latter potentially at high intensities. The outcome should be rapid evolutionary change; yet in practice very little change is found. Most species are very stable, and in situations where evolution is observed in one species often none is found in others despite equivalent opportunity. Evolutionary failure is commonplace. Despite the occurrence of high levels of protein polymorphism, there is good evidence that the supply of variation making a major contribution to fitness is very limited. As a result it is argued that lack of evolution in most species may be due more to lack of appropriate variability than to other causes: a condition for which the term ‘ genostasis ’ is proposed. In those situations where appropriate genetic variation is available for one reason or another, evolution is found to be very rapid. There are good theoretical and practical reasons for more attention being paid to the mechanisms of supply of new variation and to those situations where evolution appears not to be taking place.

Publisher

The Royal Society

Subject

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Cited by 246 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. A discrete-time model of phenotypic evolution;Applied Mathematics and Computation;2024-09

2. Appendix A simple mathematical model of maladaptation;Maladaptation;2024-07-25

3. Revisiting the design argument;Maladaptation;2024-07-25

4. Deep origins of maladaptation;Maladaptation;2024-07-25

5. Maladaptive transitions in complexity;Maladaptation;2024-07-25

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3