Fitness relativity and path-dependent selection

Background & Aims: Natural selection assumes that there is an expected fitness advantage (or aim) for any selection of gene mutations or phenotypic characteristics.However, the fitness of the selected gene mutation/phenotypic characteristic might vary as it spreads throughout a population or might vary with changing living environments over both evolutionary and ecological scales.This may result in a "paradox of stationary fitness landscape" in which an expected fitness advantage of a selected gene mutation/phenotypic characteristic might therefore not exist.Based on a dynamic state but not a stationary fitness landscape, we propose that natural selection might exhibit path-dependent selection.Summary: In path-dependent selection, the gene mutation or phenotypic characteristics are produced completely at random, but some might meet a specific condition which could generate positive feedback as they spread.Such positive feedback might also be that such matched conditions could further facilitate the occurrence of a genetic trait/phenotypic characteristic.The positive feedback effect will therefore increase the probability of a genetic trait or phenotypic characteristic in specific conditions, meaning natural selection will depend on the probability of path, but not fitness value.Analogy to that many paths lead to a bus stop near your office building, the path-dependent selection argues that the quickest path might be mostly selected, especially when the bus stop is at a fixed location and selection pressure is strong.However, the other paths may also be selected especially when the bus stop could change location or selection pressure is weak.In path-dependent selection, both evolutionary history and distribution of ecological characteristics •论坛