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Not by selection alone: expanding the scope of gene-culture coevolution

Not by selection alone: expanding the scope of gene-culture coevolution

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 3 of this Preprint.

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Authors

Sven Michael Kasser , Kevin N. Lala, Laura Fortunato, Marcus W. Feldman

Abstract

Gene-culture coevolution (GCC) - an ambitious synthesis of biological and social sciences - is often used to explain the evolution of key human traits. Despite the framework’s broad conceptual appeal however, empirical evidence is often perceived as limited to a few key examples like lactase persistence. We argue this apparent gap between theoretical appeal and empirical evidence stems from conceptual ambiguities regarding the scope of relevant gene-culture interactions. Drawing on recent work in animal gene-culture coevolution and human genomics, we propose a ”broad” approach that formally incorporates drift and migration alongside natural selection. This builds upon and subsumes the existing ”narrow” framework focused on selection. Through case studies of skin pigmentation evolution and gift-exchange network influences on genetic variation in Melanesia, we demonstrate how cultural factors shape both adaptive and neutral genetic variation and population structure. This integrative perspective accommodates diverse empirical findings while opening new avenues for research in human evolution.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32942/X2862X

Subjects

Anthropology, Biological and Physical Anthropology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution, Genetics and Genomics, Genomics, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Gene-culture, gene-culture coevolution, Human genomics, human evolution, biocultural evolution, drift, migration

Dates

Published: 2024-09-05 16:09

Last Updated: 2025-04-21 13:30

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License

CC-By Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Additional Metadata

Language:
English

Data and Code Availability Statement:
Not applicable