|
BOA Bicocca Open Archive >
Pubblicazioni >
01 - Articolo su rivista >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:http://hdl.handle.net/10281/19392
|
| Authors: | Pievani, T; Serrelli, E |
| Title: | Exaptation in Human Evolution. How to test adaptive vs. exaptive evolutionary hypotheses |
| English abstract: | Palaeontologists Stephen J. Gould and Elisabeth Vrba introduced the term “ex-aptation” (Gould, Vrba, 1982; Vrba, Gould, 1986) with the aim of improving and enlarging the scientific language available to researchers studying the evolution of any useful character, instead of calling it an “adaptation” by default, coming up to what Gould named an “extended taxonomy of fitness” (Gould, 2002). With the extension to functional co-optations from non-adaptive structures (“spandrels”), the notion of exaptation expanded and revised the neo-Darwinian concept of “pre-adaptation” (which was misleading, for Gould and Vrba, in suggesting foreordination). Exaptation is neither a “saltationist” nor an “anti-Darwinian” concept and, from 1982 to date, was adopted by many researchers in evolutionary and molecular biology, and particularly in human evolution. Exaptation was also addressed with some theoretical objections. With respect to one of these - the “non-operationality objection” - we analyze the possible operationalization of the concept in two recent meaningful studies, and identify six directions of empirical research, necessary to test “adaptive vs. exaptive” evolutionary hypotheses. We then write on a comprehensive survey (available online) of the literature, and on the basis of this we make a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the adoption of the term among scientists who study human evolution.We discuss the epistemic conditions that may have influenced the adoption and appropriate use of exaptation, and comment on the benefits of an “extended taxonomy of fitness” in present and future studies on human evolution. |
| Keywords: | Exaptation, pre-adaptation, spandrels, adaptationism, extended taxonomy of fitness, operationality |
| MIUR Subject : | Settore M-FIL/02 - Logica E Filosofia Della Scienza |
| ISO Language : | eng |
| Issue Date: | Jun-2011 |
| Circulation: | Rilevanza internazionale |
| Type: | Articolo in rivista |
| Format: | A stampa |
| Referee: | Esperti anonimi |
| Impact Factor: | Con Impact Factor ISI |
| Publication Status: | Pubblicato |
| DOI: | 10.4436/jass.89015 |
| Citation: | Pievani, T., & Serrelli, E. (2011). Exaptation in Human Evolution. How to test adaptive vs. exaptive evolutionary hypotheses. Journal of Anthropological Sciences, 89, 9-23. |
| Appears in Collections: | Pubblicazioni >01 - Articolo su rivista
DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE UMANE PER LA FORMAZIONE "RICCARDO MASSA" >01 - Articolo su rivista
|
Files in This Item:
| File |
Description |
Size | Format | Accessibility |
|---|
| PievaniSerrelliJASS2011online_complement.pdf | Online complement (Part I literature survey, Part II quantitative data) | 148.8 kB | Adobe PDF | Not accessible
|
| PievaniSerrelliExaptationJass2011.pdf | Paper | 1.26 MB | Adobe PDF | Not accessible
|
|
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
|
