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Levels of Selection Wesley Maurer Group discussion questions: Are genes capable of expressing selection? Is the earth a living organism (Gaia)? Why or why not? Which level of selection best describes humanity? Unit of Selection: A biological entity within the hierarchy of biological organization that is subject to natural selection. Levels of Selection (smallest to largest): Gene Selection Primary contributor: Richard Dawkins o Views genes as replicators which cause expression at phenotypic levels within individuals and populations. Cell Selection Primary contributor: Leo Buss o Selective pressures acting at the cell level which have the capability of changing a species over time. Individual Selection (a.k.a. Darwinism) Primary contributor: Charles Darwin o Section which favors individuals who are capable of most adequately adapting to their environment and maximizing reproducing. Kin Selection Primary contributor: John Maynard Smith o Favoring the reproductive success of relatives even at the cost of the survival and/or reproduction of the individual. Group Selection Primary contributor: Wynn Edwards o Groups within a species function together in ways which increases the fitness of the group by means that individuals could not achieve while acting separately from the group. Gaia Primary contributor: Lynn Margulis o An ecological hypothesis that suggests that living and nonliving parts of the earth are viewed as a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism. References Barlow, Connie (1991). From Gaia to Selfish Genes. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (compilation) Burian, Richard M. (1984). Genes, Organisms, Population: Controversies over the Units of Selection. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. Dawkins, Richard (1976; 1989; 2006). The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Futuyma, Douglas J. (2005). Evolution. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Gould, Stephen Jay (2002). The Structure of Evolutionary Theory. Harvard University Press. Margulis, Lynn (1998). Symbiotic Planet: A New Look at Evolution. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London.