Paul Rainey

Thinking about evolvability in terms of evolutionary transitions in individuality

Evolutionary transitions in individuality occur when lower level Darwinian particles form collectives that themselves become units of selection. In prior work we have formulated conditions sufficient to effect such transitions and argued, from both theoretical and experimental perspectives, that such studies have captured early stages of both fraternal and egalitarian transitions. More recently we scaffolded Darwinian properties on lineages of cells — just as previously — with reward accruing to lineages able to generate mutant types suited to future environments. Arising during course of the experiment was a lineage able to mutate at high frequency between alternate phenotypic states, each adapted to a cyclical environmental challenge. Evident in subsequent analysis was birth of a contingency locus that was refined cumulatively and gradually by the hand of lineage-level selection. In all regards, the scenario is equivalent that at play during fraternal ETIs, but it feels uncomfortable to think about the evolution of evolvability (as group-level adaptation) in terms of ETIs. I’m not quite sure why, but I hope to have time to develop and present ideas.