Article ID: CBB659532133

Major Problems in Evolutionary Transitions: How a Metabolic Perspective Can Enrich Our Understanding of Macroevolution (2015)

unapi

The model of major transitions in evolution (MTE) devised by Maynard Smith and Szathmáry has exerted tremendous influence over evolutionary theorists. Although MTE has been criticized for inconsistently combining different types of event, its ongoing appeal lies in depicting hierarchical increases in complexity by means of evolutionary transitions in individuality (ETIs). In this paper, we consider the implications of major evolutionary events overlooked by MTE and its ETI-oriented successors, specifically the biological oxygenation of Earth, and the acquisitions of mitochondria and plastids. By reflecting on these missed events, we reveal a central philosophical disagreement over the explanatory goals of major transitions theory that has yet to be made explicit in the literature. We go on to argue that this philosophical disagreement is only reinforced by Szathmáry’s recent revisions of MTE in the form of MTE 2.0. This finding motivates us to propose an alternative explanatory strategy: specifically, an interactionist metabolic perspective on major transitions. A metabolic framework not only avoids many of the criticisms that beset classic and revised MTE models, but also accommodates missing events and provides crucial explanatory components for standard major transitions. Although we do not provide a full-blown alternative theory and do not claim to achieve unity, we explain why foregrounding metabolism is crucial for any attempt to capture the major turning points in evolution, and why it does not lead to unmanageable pluralism.

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Authors & Contributors
Piel, Helen
Dagg, Joachim
Markus Scholz
Adriana Giannini
Mingjun Zhang
Sismondo, Sergio
Concepts
Evolution
Biology
Genetics
Metabolism; physiological chemistry
Darwinism
Communication of scientific ideas
Time Periods
21st century
20th century, late
20th century
19th century
20th century, early
Places
Russia
China
Great Britain
Institutions
Institute for the History of Sciences and Technology, Russian Academy of Science
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
History of Science Society
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