The Synergism Hypothesis: A Theory whose Time has Come

Abstract

“The Synergism Hypothesis” is a theory about the rise of complexity in biological evolution. First proposed in 1983, it asserts that cooperative effects of various kinds have been elaborately favored over time by natural selection, and that they have been largely responsible for the progressive evolution of complex organic systems. The biologist John Maynard Smith termed this process “Synergistic Selection.” Over the years this theory has been supported by, among other things, the extensive work on symbiogenesis, the research on evo-devo, (or epigenetic evolution), the many cases of hybridization in evolution, by lateral gene transfer, and especially the extensive evidence of “Lamarckian” evolution via changes in behavior.  In recent years, this theory has been significantly augmented by the growing evidence that evolution of the Earth itself over billions of years has been shaped in a co-evolutionary process involving the influence of living systems themselves, including especially cyanobacteria and deciduous plants and trees. Aerobic life is a direct result of this process. Synergistic effects in living systems have had a major causal role in evolution.