The Extended (Evolutionary) Synthesis Debate: Where Science Meets Philosophy

Pigliucci, Massimo; Finkelman, Leonard

doi:10.1093/biosci/biu062

Cited by 54 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…New information from current explorations of nongenetic inheritance calls for a multidimensional reshaping of the Modern Synthesis (Novick and Doolittle, ). Because of our newfound appreciation of complex epigenetic mechanisms and their impact on evolution, we suggest use of a more inclusive and dynamic theory called the Extended Modern Synthesis—a conceptual expansion to the classical Modern Synthesis theories that includes an understanding of “soft inheritance” (Danchin et al, ; Pigliucci & Finkelman, ). As new discoveries broaden our understanding of evolutionary theory beyondMendelian inheritance and natural selection, Novick and Doolittle () implore us to expand our evolutionary theory “toolbox” to account for the complexity of hologenomes and other epigenetic phenomena.…”

Section: The Concept Of the Hologenome Is At Odds With Some Aspects Omentioning

confidence: 99%

The concept of the hologenome, an epigenetic phenomenon, challenges aspects of the modern evolutionary synthesis

2019

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John Tyler Bonner's call to re‐evaluate evolutionary theory in light of major transitions in life on Earth (e.g., from the first origins of microbial life to the evolution of sex, and the origins of multicellularity) resonate with recent discoveries on epigenetics and the concept of the hologenome. Current studies of genome evolution often mistakenly focus only on the inheritance of DNA between parent and offspring. These are in line with the widely accepted Neo‐Darwinian framework that pairs Mendelian genetics with an emphasis on natural selection as explanations for the evolution of biodiversity on Earth. Increasing evidence for widespread symbioses complicates this narrative, as is seen in Scott Gilbert's discussion of the concept of the holobiont in this series: Organisms across the tree of life coexist with substantial influence on one another through endosymbiosis, symbioses, and host‐associated microbiomes. The holobiont theory, coupled with observations from molecular studies, also requires us to understand genomes in a new way—by considering the interactions underlain by the genome of a host plus its associated microbes, a conglomerate entity referred to as the hologenome. We argue that the complex patterns of inheritance of these genomes coupled with the influence of symbionts on host gene expression make the concept of the hologenome an epigenetic phenomenon. We further argue that the aspects of the hologenome challenge of the modern evolutionary synthesis, which requires updating to remain consistent with Darwin's intent of providing natural laws that underlie the evolution of life on Earth.

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Section: The Concept Of the Hologenome Is At Odds With Some Aspects Omentioning

confidence: 99%

The concept of the hologenome, an epigenetic phenomenon, challenges aspects of the modern evolutionary synthesis

2019

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“…Recently, there has been debate on whether an extended evolutionary synthesis is warranted (Laland et al. ; Pigliucci and Finkelman ; Wray et al. ; Laland et al.…”

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“…The book largely steers clear of the recent debates swirling around the importance of phenotypic plasticity and niche construction for evolutionary theory (Laland et al. ; Pigliucci and Finkelman ; Wray et al. ).…”

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“…Recently, there has been debate on whether an extended evolutionary synthesis is warranted (Laland et al 2014;Pigliucci and Finkelman 2014;Wray et al 2014;Laland et al 2015). Among the key processes that advocates of this revision claim have been neglected are phenotypic plasticity--the widespread ability of organisms to alter their traits in direct response to changes in their environment--and niche construction--the idea that organisms do more than simply adapt to pre-existing environments; that they can also actively construct the ecological niche in which they live (Laland et al 2014(Laland et al , 2015.…”

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Organisms and their environment: An evolving relationship

Levis

Pfennig

2017

Evolution

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“…However, the actual mechanisms that underlie heritable phenotypic variation are not completely understood (Keller ). Recently, the potential role of epigenetic mechanisms in the process of adaptive evolution has been the subject of much debate (Pigliucci & Finkelman ). Studies of variation in DNA methylation in particular have shown that natural populations harbour high amounts of epigenetic variation, which can be inherited across generations and can cause heritable trait variation independently of genetic variation (Kilvitis et al .…”

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confidence: 99%

Opportunities and challenges of next‐generation sequencing applications in ecological epigenetics

Robertson

Richards

2015

Molecular Ecology

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Evolutionary theory posits that adaptation can result when populations harbour heritable phenotypic variation for traits that increase tolerance to local conditions. However, the actual mechanisms that underlie heritable phenotypic variation are not completely understood (Keller ). Recently, the potential role of epigenetic mechanisms in the process of adaptive evolution has been the subject of much debate (Pigliucci & Finkelman ). Studies of variation in DNA methylation in particular have shown that natural populations harbour high amounts of epigenetic variation, which can be inherited across generations and can cause heritable trait variation independently of genetic variation (Kilvitis et al. ). While we have made some progress addressing the importance of epigenetics in ecology and evolution using methylation‐sensitive AFLP (MS‐AFLP), this approach provides relatively few anonymous and dominant markers per individual. MS‐AFLP are difficult to link to functional genomic elements or phenotype and are difficult to compare directly to genetic variation, which has limited the insights drawn from studies of epigenetic variation in natural nonmodel populations (Schrey et al. ). In this issue, Platt et al. provide an example of a promising approach to address this problem by applying a reduced representation bisulphite sequencing (RRBS) approach based on next‐generation sequencing methods in an ecological context.

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The Extended (Evolutionary) Synthesis Debate: Where Science Meets Philosophy

Cited by 54 publications

References 32 publications

The concept of the hologenome, an epigenetic phenomenon, challenges aspects of the modern evolutionary synthesis

The concept of the hologenome, an epigenetic phenomenon, challenges aspects of the modern evolutionary synthesis

Organisms and their environment: An evolving relationship

Opportunities and challenges of next‐generation sequencing applications in ecological epigenetics

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