Causal Foundations of Evolutionary Genetics

Abstract

The causal nature of evolution is one of the central topics in the philosophy of biology. It has been discussed whether equations used in evolutionary genetics point to some causal processes or are purely phenomenological patterns. To address this question the present paper builds well-defined causal models that underlie standard equations in evolutionary genetics. These models are based on minimal and biologically-plausible hypotheses about selection and reproduction, and generate statistics to predict evolutionary changes. The causal reconstruction of the evolutionary principles shows adaptive evolution as a genuine causal process, where fitness and selection are both causes of evolution.

The Price equation and the unity of social evolution theory

“…The concept of causality and how it connects with evolutionary theory raises many questions. On a very general scale, we can ask whether adaptive evolution, as described by mathematical evolutionary theory, is a causal process in the first place [72]. When examining more specific evolutionary scenarios, we may want to consider what are valid and useful ways of breaking the model into finer-grained causal structures (e.g.…”

“…Philosophical contributions often focus on additive or regression models (e.g. [72,75]), while δ-weak selection is one of the most important modelling methods in evolutionary biology, at least in social evolution theory [30].…”

Ontology, Causality, and Methodology of Evolutionary Research Programs

“…Despite Mayr's strict segregation, the fact that the two sorts of causes are systematically related can be shown by the causal graph theory, which deals with formal relationships between a causal structure represented by a directed graph and a probability distribution generated from it (see box). The graphical representation has been used to illustrate causal assumptions underlying the standard quantitative genetic models (Frank, 1997;Rice, 2004;Otsuka, 2016a), but it also allows us to characterize "non-standard" evolutionary mechanisms as modifications to the standard causal model (Otsuka, 2015). In the extended causal models, epigenetic inheritance introduces an extra pathway between the parental and offspring phenotypes, while a niche is represented as a "contextual variable" constructed by individuals in a local population and inherited to the next generation (Fig.…”

Adaptationism and the Logic of Research Questions: How to Think Clearly About Evolutionary Causes

“…Actually, as evolutionary biology is usually taught and conceived, there are a variety of evolutionary forces or types of factors that can influence the form and distribution of a given trait, only one of which is natural selection (Singh and Krimbas 2000;Futuyma 2013). Usually, many of these processes are understood to operate simultaneously on a given trait, but only one or two are the major factors causing its form and distribution at a given time (e.g., Wright 1931;Otsuka 2014;Wade 2016).…”

“…Let us call this basic approach the ''evolutionary factors'' framework of evolutionary theory; its fundamental research question is: ''What evolutionary factors account for the form and distribution of this trait?'' Often, several of these factors are understood to operate simultaneously on a given trait, but only one or two are the major factors causing its form and distribution at a given time (e.g., Otsuka 2014;see Newman 1988;Amundson 1994Amundson , 1998Amundson , 2005Griffiths 1996;Raff 1996;Carroll 2005;Newman and Bhat 2008). When we investigate the evolutionary origins of a given trait, we usually prioritize the functional factors, natural selection and sexual selection, as the most significant factors in evolutionary research, and we might start with the question: ''Does this trait have a function?''…”