"Anon."  wrote in message
news:blhrhv$2ikh$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org...
> >>>>>[snip]
> >>>>>At the level of the gene fidelity is very high,
but mitosis and
meiosis
> >>>>>virtually eliminate heritable variation for
fitness among gene
copies.

> >>>>I disagree with this - the heritable variation is still there,
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>Where?
> >>
> >>In the population.  Different members of the population have different
> >>alleles.  Variation is only important when looking at the interactions
> >>between vehicles (or "interactors" as Hull would have it)
> >
> >
> > Well then, if the heritable variation for fitness exists at the
individual
> > level, and NOT at the gene level, then I think it follows that there is
a
> > potential for selection at the individual level and NOT at the gene
level.
>
> Yes, but there is heritable variation at the gene level (otherwise how
> would we be able to map genes?  :-)).

That insight (minus the ?) ought to be the end of discussion.

DNA (and its histone code packaging) is the level at which species evolution
is motored by heritable _variation_ (any relevant molecular mutation).

There is NO natural _selection_ worth mentioning going on at that level,
ever since a few billion years ago.

Biological natural selection has  (whilst John Wilkins knows how to
point-out many other kinds ;-)) roughly since then occurred mainly at the
level of individual genophenotypes (but also above, including amongst
societies or "groups" of such, and amongst changing
"cultural products" of
human brains and behaviour -- of course with some interactivity going on
between these 'higher' levels of evolutionary development.

Natural Selection (intimately accompanied by fundamental physical,
genetic-molecular biophysical constraints on variability and "natural
selectability") from variability at the level of *both* genes and individual
phenotypes (and at a 'higher' level -- "groups" and other kinds of things,
or patterns, being naturally selected after having been leveraged by the
active capacities of individual genophenotypes) is, however, still
continuing as of today.

So, with the trivial task of determining what levels of selection operate
when and in what circumstances, *back to explaining and exposing* how we
got/get to be how we are!

With respect where it is due,

P
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