Evolution of Traits and Species through Selective Pressures Arising from Fundamental Biological Needs

Purpose of This Release This manuscript is a working draft of an ongoing book project and has not yet undergone final editing or peer review. The present version is shared publicly in order to invite critical feedback, scholarly critique, and constructive suggestions from researchers in evolutionary biology, theoretical biology, ecology, and related fields. Following the receipt of comments, the manuscript will be substantially revised, clarified, and expanded before submission to an academic publisher. Conceptual Motivation Despite major advances in evolutionary biology—from Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the Modern Synthesis to life-history theory, ecological theory, and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis—there remains no fully integrated framework that systematically classifies selective pressures according to their functional roles in survival, reproduction, and trait formation across biological scales. Selective pressures are typically categorized by their sources (biotic vs. abiotic, environmental vs. social) rather than by their direct causal effects on fundamental biological requirements. This often leads to fragmented explanations that are difficult to integrate across microevolutionary processes, macroevolutionary patterns, and major evolutionary transitions. Core Proposal This book proposes a conceptual reorganization of selective explanations by classifying selective pressures according to their effects on three fundamental biological needs: Acquisition and metabolism of energy and nutrients Biological security (maintenance of structural and functional integrity against physical, chemical, and biological threats) Reproductive success and genetic transmission The framework does not introduce a new evolutionary mechanism. Rather, it offers a new way of organizing existing selective explanations, drawing on established theories—particularly life-history theory (e.g., Stearns, 1992)—while aiming to generate clearer causal integration and novel comparative predictions. Non-selective processes (e.g., developmental constraints, spandrels, epigenetic mechanisms) are not the primary focus of this work and are discussed only where necessary for conceptual clarity. Contents Shared in This Release To facilitate focused scholarly feedback, this Zenodo release includes: A general overview of the book’s aims and conceptual structure Summaries of all chapters Chapter 1: Historical and theoretical background Chapter 2: Definition and structure of the proposed framework Chapter 3: Reanalysis of classical selective pressures within the proposed framework Later chapters (applications, macroevolution, and major evolutionary transitions) are intentionally withheld at this stage and will be revised in light of received feedback.