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Abstract
Showing that the arithmetic mean number of offspring for a trait type often fails to be a predictive measure of fitness was a welcome correction to the philosophical literature on fitness. While the higher mathematical moments (variance, skew, kurtosis, etc.) of a probability-weighted offspring distribution can influence fitness measurement in distinct ways, the geometric mean number of offspring is commonly singled out as the most appropriate measure. For it is well-suited to a compounding (multiplicative) process and is sensitive to variance in offspring number. The geometric mean thus proves to be a predictively efficacious measure of fitness in examples featuring discrete generations and within- or between-generation variance in offspring output. Unfortunately, this advance has subsequently led some to conclude that the arithmetic mean is never (or at best infrequently) a good measure of fitness and that the geometric mean should accordingly be the default measure of fitness. We show not only that the arithmetic mean is a perfectly reasonable measure of fitness so long as one is clear about what it refers to (in particular, when it refers to growth rate), but also that it functions as a more general measure when properly interpreted. It must suffice as a measure of fitness in any case where the geometric mean has been effectively deployed as a measure. We conclude with a discussion about why the mathematical equivalence we highlight cannot be dismissed as merely of mathematical interest.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 12 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-22 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Biology and Philosophy |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2022 |
Keywords
- fitness
- propensity
- growth rate
- geometric mean
- artithmetic mean
- population biology
- evolutionary theory
- selective explanation
- Propensity
- Growth rate
- Selective explanation
- Evolutionary theory
- Geometric mean
- Population biology
- Arithmetic mean
- Fitness
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DE210100303: Inheritance and the Emergence of Individuals: From concepts to practice
29/12/21 → 31/12/23
Project: Research