History of the Selectionist/Neutralist Debate in Evolutionary Biology

进化生物学中选择论/中立论争论的历史

• 批准号: 8812254
• 负责人: William Provine
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1988
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1988-07-01 至 1989-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8812254&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: History; Selectionist; Neutralist; Debate; Evolutionary

The relationship between deterministic and random processes in the mechanisms of evolution in nature has been a fundamental feature of modern evolutionary biology since the early 1930's. The tension between Sewall Wright's and R. A. Fisher's views of mechanisms of evolution has been extremely important in shaping much of the theoretical and field work in evolutionary biology. This tension stems basically from their differing interpretations of the relative roles of deterministic selection and random genetic drift. In the period since 1950, the primary foci of interest in the tension between selectionist and neutralist interpretations have been in the controversies surrounding: 1) Ernst Mayr's concepts of founder effect and genetic revolution in speciation, 2) the selectionist interpretation of microevolution at the phenotypic level, represented by the Oxford School of ecological genetics, and 3) Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution. Under this grant, Professor Provine will examine in detail the two major schools at opposite ends of the spectrum in this debate: the Oxford School of ecological genetics and Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution. The first represents a deeply selectionist (i.e. deterministic) interpretation of evolution in nature and the second a deeply neutralist (i.e. random) interpretation. Professor Provine will also examine the history of the interplay between ideas about natural selection and random drift by focussing upon the controversy over Ernst Mayr's concepts. Finally, the study will trace the rise of attempts to synthesize neutralist and selectionist interpretations, in regard to both microevolution and macroevolution. This study promises greatly to enhance our understanding of how scientific theories develop, interact with their competitors, and finally themselves evolve in the scientific process of selection of the most viable explanation for natural phenomena. Thus the study will contribute to the history and philosophy of science as well as to the understanding of contemporary evolutionary thought.

自 20 世纪 30 年代初期以来，自然界进化机制中的确定性过程和随机过程之间的关系一直是现代进化生物学的基本特征。 休厄尔·赖特 (Sewall Wright) 和 R. A. 费舍尔 (R. A. Fisher) 的进化机制观点之间的矛盾对于进化生物学的许多理论和现场工作的形成极为重要。 这种紧张局势基本上源于他们对确定性选择和随机遗传漂变的相对作用的不同解释。 自1950年以来，选择论和中立论解释之间的紧张关系主要集中在以下争议：1）恩斯特·迈尔的物种形成中的奠基者效应和遗传革命的概念，2）以牛津生态遗传学学院为代表的表型水平上的选择论对微进化的解释，以及3）木村素夫的分子进化中立理论。 在这笔资助下，普罗文教授将详细研究这场辩论中处于光谱两端的两个主要学派：牛津生态遗传学学院和木村素夫的分子进化中性理论。 第一个代表了对自然进化的深刻选择主义（即确定性）解释，第二个代表了深刻的中立主义（即随机）解释。 普罗文教授还将通过关注恩斯特·迈尔概念的争议来研究自然选择和随机漂移思想之间相互作用的历史。 最后，该研究将追踪在微观进化和宏观进化方面综合中立主义和选择主义解释的尝试的兴起。 这项研究有望极大地增强我们对科学理论如何发展、与竞争对手相互作用以及最终在选择对自然现象最可行的解释的科学过程中如何发展的理解。 因此，这项研究将有助于科学史和科学哲学以及对当代进化思想的理解。