Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 76 (4): 699-716, 2003
COMMENTARY
Evolution by natural selection: more evidence than ever before
The modern evolutionary theory, understood as the integration of the empirically
demonstrated theoretical foundations of organic evolution, is one of the most pervasive conceptual frameworks in biology. However,
some debate has arisen in the Chilean scientific community regarding the legitimacy of natural selection as a mechanism that explains
adaptive evolution. This review surveys the recent evidence for natural selection and its consequences on natural and artificial
populations. In addition to the literature review, I present basic conceptual tools for the study of microevolution at the ecological scale,
from a quantitative point of view. The outcome is clear: natural selection can be, is being, and has been quantified and demonstrated in
both the field and in the laboratory, not many, but hundred of times during the past decades. The study of evolution by natural selection
has attained maturity, which is demonstrated by the appearance of several syntheses and meta-analyses, as well as “evolutionary
applications” where evolution by natural selection is used to resolve practical problems in disciplines other than pure biology. Caution is
required when challenging evolutionary theory. The abundant evidence supporting this conceptual body demands a careful
examination of available evidence before dogmatically critizing its theoretical foundations.
Key words:
evolution, natural
selection, adaptations, heritability, directional selection differential, artificial selection
