Abstract

Evolutionary biology is poised for a third major synthesis. The first presented Darwin's evidence from natural history. The second incorporated genetic mechanisms. The third will be based on energy and biophysical processes. It should include the equal fitness paradigm (EFP), which quantifies how organisms convert biomass into surviving offspring. Natural selection tends to maximize energetic fitness, formula presented, where formula presented is mass-specific rate of cohort biomass production, formula presented is generation time, formula presented is fraction of cohort production that is passed to surviving offspring, and formula presented is energy density of biomas. At steady state, parents replace themselves with offspring of equal mass-specific energy content, formula presented ≈ 22.4 kJ/g, and biomass, formula presented ≈ 1 g/g. The EFP highlights: (i) the energetic basis of survival and reproduction; (ii) how natural selection acts directly on the parameters of formula presented; (iii) why there is no inherent intrinsic fitness advantage for higher metabolic power, ontogenetic or population growth rate, fecundity, longevity, or resource use efficiency; and (iv) the role of energy in animals with a variety of life histories. Underlying the spectacular diversity of living things is pervasive similarity in how energy is acquired from the environment and used to leave descendants offspring in future generations.

Department(s)

Biological Sciences

Publication Status

Full Access

Keywords and Phrases

energy; evolution; fitness; life history; metabolism; natural selection

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1461-0248

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 Wiley, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Oct 2024

PubMed ID

39404169

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