Maladaptation: Natural Selection in the Wrong Direction?
Maladaptation: Natural Selection in the Wrong Direction?
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Abstract
Evolution by natural selection is widely understood to furnish organisms with adaptations that help them to survive and reproduce, but this accessible book argues that it can also do the exact opposite. Traits that are harmful to the fitness of individual organisms are synthesised together as maladaptations, giving this confusing and neglected term new meaning. Such maladaptations contradict the received understanding of what natural selection ‘does’, but become explicable with an understanding of the genetics and ecology of evolution by natural selection. A theory of maladaptation is developed to explain how it can occur. The empirical evidence of maladaptation is discussed, highlighting both diverse examples and the potential pitfalls in applying the concept. The broader scope of maladaptation is also discussed in relation to the major evolutionary transitions and the origins of life. Beyond the science, the philosophical implications of maladaptation are explored in natural theology. Therefore, overall, the book is an argument that synthesises evidence from evolution, genetics, and ecology to piece together how maladaptations are not only possible, but are a widespread occurrence in nature, having had an enormous impact on organism design—and our understanding of it.
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Front Matter
- 1 Making room for maladaptation
- 2 Natural selection through genetics
- 3 Population ecology of natural selection
- 4 Maladaptation in social behaviour
- 5 Maladaptation within the body
- 6 Maladaptive transitions in complexity
- 7 Deep origins of maladaptation
- 8 Revisiting the design argument
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End Matter
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