Concepts of Evolution.ppt

Concepts of Evolution A summary of the principles of natural selection Principle of Variation: Individuals within a species show variation in their physical and behavioural traits. Principle of Inheritance: Some of this variation is heritable. Principle of Adaptation: Individuals are in competition with one another for scarce resources and some inherited variations will have survival advantages. Principle of Selection: as a consequence of being better adapted to an environment, some individuals will produce more offspring, who will inherit the same advantages. Fitness is thus defined as reproductive success (RS) or the number of surviving offspring produced. Evolution results in differential rate of reproduction and survival of different genotypes in a population Where does variation come from? Mutation or copying errors. Fitness = The relative number of surviving offspring, more specifically: the extent to which copies of an individual’s genotype are present in succeeding generations, relative to other genotypes; in other words, reproductive success (RS) Spencer’s quote, “survival of the fittest,” can be misleading. Fitness is not related to survival except for survival to the reproductive age. Fitness does not refer to physical well-being. Inclusive fitness: Extending Darwin’s natural selection through sexual reproduction Hamilton (1964) reformulated evolutionary theory by showing that the measure of an individual’s direct reproductive success (RS) was too narrow a concept. He introduced the term inclusive fitness to refers to the fitness or RS of the individual plus the effects of a particular behavior or trait of the individual on RS of the individuals relatives. C B*r Inclusive fitness = Direct fitness + Indirect fitness = RS of Individual + RS of Relatives Altruism: Decrease in direct fitness than increase in indirect fitness Altruism: Selfish restraint, e.g., not being too mean to relatives. Prisoner’s Dilemma Sexual Selection