West M J, King A P
Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27514.
Dev Psychobiol. 1987 Sep;20(5):549-62. doi: 10.1002/dev.420200508.
All organisms inherit parents' genes, but many also inherit parents, peers, and the places they inhabit as well. We suggest the term ontogenetic niche to signify the ecological and social legacies that accompany genes. A formal name is needed to give the idea of the inherited environment equal status with its conceptual cognates; nature and nurture. We argue here that increased recognition of the inherited environment facilitates unification efforts within the developmental sciences by emphasizing the affinity, rather than opposability, of ontogenetic processes.
所有生物都继承父母的基因，但许多生物还会继承父母、同伴以及它们所栖息的环境。我们建议使用“个体发育生态位”这一术语来表示伴随基因的生态和社会遗产。需要一个正式的名称，以使遗传环境的概念与其相关概念——先天与后天——具有同等地位。我们在此认为，对遗传环境的更多认识通过强调个体发育过程的亲和性而非对立性，促进了发育科学内部的统一努力。
