Transformational homology, ecological filtering and exaptation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22370/lv.2024.30.2.4500Keywords:
exaptation, function, homology, ecological filtering, dual-context traitsAbstract
Exaptation is a retrospectively lucky effect that cannot be explained based on the interpretation of biological function as a selected effect. This is why S. J. Gould and E. Vrba (1982) argued that adaptations have functions and exaptations have only effects. I argue that there are at least two kinds of function change that meet this definition. The first is exaptation that requires the notion of transformational homology and the second is exaptation that does not involve homology but does require the notion of ecological filtering or non-creative selection. I claim that this second kind of function change makes exaptations a type of dual-context trait in the sense of Hendry et al. (2009). I will show that these two categories of exaptations have divergent consequences with respect to the functional character of their effects in the context of the Darwinian conception of function.
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