Suárez Javier, Stencel Adrian, Ronai Isobel
Department of Philosophy, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
Department of Philosophy of the Natural Sciences, Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
Bioessays. 2025 Oct;47(10):e70047. doi: 10.1002/bies.70047. Epub 2025 Aug 8.
We propose that top-down coercive mechanisms have played a role in the origin and maintenance of the Major Transitions in Evolution (MTE). Top-down coercion has potentially been underappreciated due to the lack of a conceptual framework. Therefore, we provide a formalized top-down coercion framework for the MTE. Our conceptualization of top-down biological coercion is a loss of potential due to a constraint from the top-down. We also present three case studies of coercive top-down mechanisms in the evolution of eukaryotic cells, multicellularity and eusocial insect colonies. The MTE project studies the origin and maintenance of new levels of individuality in the biological hierarchy. Previously, the MTE has been conceived as a bottom-up process. Our coercion framework provides new empirical questions regarding the origin of transitions and helps reframe discussions of fitness in the MTE.
我们提出，自上而下的强制机制在进化中的重大转变（MTE）的起源和维持过程中发挥了作用。由于缺乏概念框架，自上而下的强制作用可能一直未得到充分认识。因此，我们为MTE提供了一个形式化的自上而下的强制框架。我们对自上而下的生物强制的概念化是指由于自上而下的限制而导致的潜力丧失。我们还展示了真核细胞、多细胞生物和群居昆虫群落进化过程中自上而下强制机制的三个案例研究。MTE项目研究生物层次结构中新个体水平的起源和维持。此前，MTE被认为是一个自下而上的过程。我们的强制框架提供了关于转变起源的新实证问题，并有助于重新构建MTE中适应性的讨论。
