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Agency in reproduction| title | Agency in reproduction |
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| start_date | 2022/12/16 |
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| schedule | 14h-16h |
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| online | no |
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| location_info | salle de conférence, 1er étage |
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| summary | In the past two decades, the received view of organisms as passive objects of evolution has been challenged on two major grounds. Niche construction theory has disputed the conceptualization of organisms as passive subjects of selective pressures, while development-oriented biologists have criticized the view of organisms as epiphenomena of genetic programs, stressing their self-constructing capacities, as well as their ability to plastically adapt to environmental circumstances. Both lines of criticism have brought to the front the active role of organisms in evolution as ecological and developmental agents, respectively. In contrast, the role of organismal agents in reproduction has received little attention. In this paper, I tackle the topic of reproductive agency from the perspective of recent empirical and conceptual work on the evolution of vertebrate viviparity, particularly in eutherian mammals. After discussing the mainstream view of genes as agents of reproduction, I first argue that the agential role of organisms in reproduction is irreducible to developmental and ecological agency. Accounting for the developmental evolution of reproduction requires us to include reproductive goals in our definitions of agency. Secondly, I explore the evolutionary consequences of endorsing an agential approach to reproduction with regard to novelty and evolvability. Finally, I argue that a reproductive notion of agency might provide unforeseen links between developmental and ecological agency. To substantiate this claim, I look at recent studies on the evolutionary developmental relationship between viviparity and social behavior in vertebrates. |
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| responsibles | du Crest, Montjean, Virenque |
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Workflow history| from state (1) | to state | comment | date |
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| submitted | published | | 2022/12/08 16:21 UTC |
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