The revival of the extended phenotype

Abstract

EMBO Reports (2018) e46477 When Richard Dawkins published his book on the Extended Phenotype (EP) in 1982 ( The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene ), it was received as an interesting but relatively minor addition to evolutionary theory primarily confined to a few poster child examples such as beaver dams and termite nests. The interest in the EP quickly subsided but has revived again in recent years, mainly as a result of next‐generation sequencing and molecular techniques that allow the study of relationships between genomes and phenotypes among organisms at a much finer level. It has opened up a huge field of investigation to include concepts such as evolutionary feedback and niche construction theory into a so‐called integrated theory of evolution. This renewed interest in the EP is not just an academic interest but could enable applications in agriculture and medicine. There is also an environmental dimension by studying the close relationship between species and how this provides resilience against environmental changes, notably global climate change. > This renewed interest in the EP is not just an academic interest but could enable applications in agriculture and medicine The EP as originally drafted by Dawkins embraces several related but at the same time distinct aspects of evolution, some confined to single species and others extending to complex ecosystems. In fact, the original definition specified three distinct categories, which are still largely adhered to today. The first is confined to single species, under the heading of architecture. This includes beaver dams and termite nests, where the phenotype is the fitness of the construction for survival and reproduction. There is no other organism involved, at least not directly, although of course numerous microbes may inhabit and benefit from some aspects of the construction. The second form of EP involves two organisms where one …