Gene-Culture Coevolution

Kendal, J.R.

Abstract

Gene-culture coevolution theory explicitly accounts for the inheritance of genetic and cultural traits whose fitness and evolutionary trajectory are nonindependent. After describing how a gene-culture coevolutionary account is constructed, the framework is compared and contrasted against other evolutionary anthropology approaches to the study of human behavior. This is followed by highlighting a series of examples of gene-culture coevolution in human evolution, focusing largely on nutrition, disease, and the role of cumulative cultural evolution, which also shows how gene-culture coevolutionary mechanisms can affect both rates and evolutionary trajectories compared with a standard population genetic or cultural account. The approach is a powerful tool to understand both ancestral and contemporary human evolution.

Citation

Kendal, J. (2015). Gene-Culture Coevolution. In J. Wright (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (813-818). (2nd ed.). Elsevier

• Publication Date: 2015
• Deposit Date: Apr 22, 2015
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Pages: 813-818
• Series Number: 9
• Edition: 2nd ed.
• Book Title: International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1670703
• Contract Date: Apr 22, 2015