Clarke, E orcid.org/0000-0003-1839-6405 (2016) Levels of selection in biofilms: multispecies biofilms are not evolutionary individuals. Biology & Philosophy, 31 (2). pp. 191-212. ISSN 0169-3867
Abstract
Microbes are generally thought of as unicellular organisms, but we know that many microbes live as parts of biofilms—complex, surface-attached microbial communities numbering millions of cells. Some authors have recently argued in favour of reconceiving biofilms as biological entities in their own right. In particular, some have claimed that multispecies biofilms are evolutionary individuals (Doolittle in Biol Philos 28:351–378, 2013; Ereshefsky and Pedroso in PNAS USA 112(33): 10126–10132 2015). Against this view, I defend the conservative consensus that selection acts primarily upon microbial cells.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, Springer Science + Business Media Dordrecht. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Biology and Philosophy. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10539-016-9517-3 |
Keywords: | Multicellularity; Bacteria; Biofilm; Individuality; Organism; Microbiology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > School of Philosophy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 22 May 2018 08:40 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jun 2023 22:37 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Verlag |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s10539-016-9517-3 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:122542 |