What entities will evolve through the process of natural selection? The units that are reproduced (e.g. genes, accepting true replication truly exists) or the units that allow reproduction (e.g. individuals having abilities to produce offspring constituting next generations)?
Irritating, because abilities to reproduce are also spent by genes...??
Equally irritating, because expression of genes is influenced by behavior AND because behavior influences which sets of genes are available in the next generation AND because (in iteroparous organisms) behavior-gene relationships influence the demographic environment, thereby influencing the selective environment?
Good question, Marcel. Now I'm curious if you're working on a good review that incorporates this topic. I suspect you'll get hard-line answers on both sides of the proverbial fence. That is, those working on genes will no doubt think that selection acts on genes. In my opinion, adoption of some a strict argument requires one to ignore the influence of the effects of environment-behavior-gene relationships. So, I'll be curious to see how this conversation progresses.
Interesting debate.This question may help to re-direct it:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_Natural_Selection#share
Genes represent the units transmitted from one generation to the next generation , and the genotype of individual broke down to genes during gametogenesis and distribute on gametes and through fertilization process new set of genotypes appear in the next generation.
Good Luck
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