Natural Selection and the Origin of Species

On the origin of species by natural and sexual selection.

Ecological speciation is considered an adaptive response to selection for local adaptation. However, besides suitable ecological conditions, the process requires assortative mating to protect the nascent species from homogenization by gene flow. By means of a simple model, we demonstrate that disruptive ecological selection favors the evolution of sexual preferences for ornaments that signal lo...

The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection

Selection and the origin of species

Do we know anything about its regulation? A little. In animal cells, components of the class I phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase pathway including Akt and Tor act as inhibitors, whereas the lipid phosphatase PTEN, class III PI 3-kinase and p70 S6 kinase appear to be positive regulators. In yeast, Tor kinase and protein kinase A are inhibitory, while PI 3kinase is required for autophagy. Many q...

Primer Selection and the origin of species

Why are there so many species on earth? Answering this question requires an understanding of how species form. An obvious place to start looking for answers is Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' (1859). But his title is deceptive: Darwin's book is about adaptation and the origin of varieties and has surprisingly little to say about selection and " the origin of sp...

Natural Selection and the Origin of Economic Growth¤

This research develops an evolutionary growth theory that captures the interplay between the evolution of mankind and economic growth since the emergence of the human species. The theory suggests that the struggle for survival that had characterized most of human existence generated an evolutionary advantage to human traits that were complementary to the growth process, triggering the take-o® f...