Constraints on Speciation in Human Populations: Phenotypic Diversity Matters

A phenotype is an expression of a genotype interacting with a component of an environment. Phenotypic diversity can be generated by mutation, physiological mechanisms, developmental processes, or learning (reinforcing and aversive stimulus-response effects). Causes and consequences of lifetime reproductive success can be partitioned into one or another of the previous mechanisms of phenotypic diversity. This article highlights, in particular, the ways in which behavioral diversity including cultural rules, enhances a phenotype’s relative reproductive success. Expanding Frank’s (2013) theoretical framework, it is argued that, whilea diverse (e.g., “modular”) human phenotype may broaden a phenotype’s success in a given landscape, byproducts are produced that increase gene flow between populations, limiting the potential for population divergence and reproductive isolation. The mechanisms discussed herein are not necessarily dependent upon conscious and aware operations.