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Three Trends in the History of Life: An Evolutionary Syndrome

Publication ,  Journal Article
McShea, DW
Published in: Evolutionary Biology
December 1, 2016

The history of life seems to be characterized by three large-scale trends in complexity: (1) the rise in complexity in the sense of hierarchy, in other words, an increase in the number of levels of organization within organisms; (2) the increase in complexity in the sense of differentiation, that is, a rise in the number of different part types at the level just below the whole; and (3) a downward trend, the loss of differentiation at the lowest levels in organisms, a kind of complexity drain within the parts. Here, I describe the three trends, outlining the evidence for each and arguing that they are connected with each other, that together they constitute an evolutionary syndrome, one that has recurred a number times over the history of life. Finally, in the last section, I offer an argument connecting the third trend to the reduction at lower levels of organization in “autonomy”, or from a different perspective, to an increase in what might be called the “machinification” of the lower levels.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Evolutionary Biology

DOI

ISSN

0071-3260

Publication Date

December 1, 2016

Volume

43

Issue

4

Start / End Page

531 / 542

Related Subject Headings

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology
 

Citation

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McShea, D. W. (2016). Three Trends in the History of Life: An Evolutionary Syndrome. Evolutionary Biology, 43(4), 531–542. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-015-9323-x
McShea, D. W. “Three Trends in the History of Life: An Evolutionary Syndrome.” Evolutionary Biology 43, no. 4 (December 1, 2016): 531–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-015-9323-x.
McShea DW. Three Trends in the History of Life: An Evolutionary Syndrome. Evolutionary Biology. 2016 Dec 1;43(4):531–42.
McShea, D. W. “Three Trends in the History of Life: An Evolutionary Syndrome.” Evolutionary Biology, vol. 43, no. 4, Dec. 2016, pp. 531–42. Scopus, doi:10.1007/s11692-015-9323-x.
McShea DW. Three Trends in the History of Life: An Evolutionary Syndrome. Evolutionary Biology. 2016 Dec 1;43(4):531–542.
Journal cover image

Published In

Evolutionary Biology

DOI

ISSN

0071-3260

Publication Date

December 1, 2016

Volume

43

Issue

4

Start / End Page

531 / 542

Related Subject Headings

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology