285:
of evolution and ecology. Some recent topics: (1) The evolution of biotas can be approached through changes in patterns of energy flow and their control. I am looking at the basal
Cenozoic radiation of placental mammals from this perspective; there are surprisingly large changes in the group selection causing the changes, and in its components; (2) Single-species populations of birds decrease in density with body size at the same rate as the total energy flow through single individuals increases. A student found a similar pattern for mammals. This implies a community regulation of absolute fitnesses, if one accepts my heretical (ecological) view of the nature of fitness; (3)The actual levels of selection in the current rapid evolution of our own species differ from standard concepts and are generalizable; (4) Charles Lyell used (real) species selection before Darwin. Work of my students has also been diverse. Some examples: norm of reaction, biogeography, fossil mammals, mathematical anthropological genetics, complexity, body size, human sociobiology, developmental noise, sloth limbs, natural selection, allometry. My interests go beyond what the blurb indicates.
253:, both giants in honing the synthetic theory of evolution, which melded Darwin's ideas about evolution with Mendel's on genetics. Van Valen met and married Phebe May Hoff while they were both doctoral students in biology at Columbia. They had two children, girls Katrina and Diana, but divorced in 1984. Van Valen then married Virginia Maiorana, eventually separating from that relationship as well. At the time of his passing, he was engaged to Towako Katsuno, a Japanese professor of Geriatric Nursing, whom he met when she came to Chicago to do her PhD.
898:
495:
Leigh Van Valen, 75, a professor emeritus at the
University of Chicago who originated the influential "Red Queen" hypothesis, called one of the most important ideas in modern biology, died Saturday, Oct. 16. Mr. Van Valen was hospitalized for more than three months and died of a recurrent respiratory
284:
I am a generalist and tend to open new approaches more than fill them in. What I work on changes irregularly and unpredictably with the progress of theory and knowledge. I am currently writing a book that expands on my perspective (the Red Queen's hypothesis) of trophic energy as a major controller
42:
143:, drew upon the apparent constant probability (as opposed to rate) of extinction in families of related organisms, based on data compiled from existing literature on the duration of tens of thousands of genera throughout the fossil record. Van Valen proposed the
225:. As a biologist, Van Valen considered the role of zoological and botanical gardens, in a world with a degrading natural environment, to be essential for the safeguard of endangered flora and fauna.
443:
151:. The Red Queen Hypothesis captures the idea that there is a constant 'arms race' between co-evolving species. Its name is a reference to the Red Queen's race in
233:
Van Valen was born on Aug. 12, 1935, in Albany, NY and was chosen "most academic" in the first grade. He earned a zoology and botany degree at age 20 in 1955 from
268:. Van Valen had been hospitalized for more than three months from a rare form of fungal pneumonia, complicated by a long-standing but slowly progressing form of
280:
On the
University of Chicago website for the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science, Van Valen had written and posted this about himself:
969:
570:
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311:"Selection in natural populations 7, New York babies (Fetal Life Study)", Annals of Human Genetics 31 (1967), 109–121 (with G.W. Mellen).
643:
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Genes increase in frequency when relatedness of recipient to actor times benefit to recipient exceeds reproductive cost to actor
872:
335:"Why misunderstand the evolutionary half of biology?" in E. Saarinen, ed., Conceptual Issues in Ecology, Reidel, 1982, 323–343.
563:
424:
261:
356:"The statistics of variation", in: Variation (B. Hallgrímsson & B. Hall, ed.), Elsevier Academic Press (2005), 29–47.
359:"How ubiquitous is adaptation? A critique of the epiphenomenist program", Biology and Philosophy 24 (2009), 267–280.
519:
772:
912:
777:
The correlation between the size of an animal and its diet quality; larger animals can consume lower quality diet
556:
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347:"The origin of the plesiadapid primates and the nature of Purgatorius", Evolutionary Monographs 15 (1994), 1–79.
882:
817:
Sexual size dimorphism increases with size when males are larger, decreases with size when females are larger
323:"Multivariate structural statistics in natural history", Journal of Theoretical Biology 45 (1974), 235–247.
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127:. At the time of his death, he was professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the
250:
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128:
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A population at limit of tolerance in one aspect is vulnerable to small differences in any other aspect
827:
Groups evolve from character variation in primitive species to a fixed character state in advanced ones
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infection at St. Mary of
Nazareth Hospital Center in Chicago, according to his wife, Virginia Maiorana.
160:, in which the chess board moves such that Alice must continue running just to stay in the same place.
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320:"Brain size and intelligence in man", American Journal of Physical Anthropology 40 (1974), 417–423.
308:"The extinction of the multituberculates", Systematic Zoology 15 (1966), 261¬278 (with R.E. Sloan).
242:
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341:"Species, sets, and the derivative nature of philosophy", Biology and Philosophy 3 (1988), 49–66.
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314:"The origins of inversion polymorphisms", American Naturalist 102 (1968), 5–24 (with R. Levins).
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In cladistics, the most primitive species are found in earliest, central, part of group's area
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332:"The Archaebacteria and eukaryotic origins", Nature 287 (1980), 248–250 (with V.C. Maiorana).
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305:, a new microbial species". With Virginia C. Maiorana (1991). Evolutionary Theory, 10:71–74.
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Embryos start from a common form and develop into increasingly specialised forms
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which he printed on simple paper stock under the motto, "Substance over form."
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Inverse relationship between water temperature and no. of fin rays, vertebrae
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350:"The last third of Mendel's paper", Evolutionary Theory 12 (2001), 99–100.
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Parts in an organism become reduced in number and specialized in function
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Small species get larger, large species smaller, after colonizing islands
269:
924:
Large ectothermic animals more easily maintain constant body temperature
516:
466:
Family history, included by Leigh and Phebe's daughter
Katrina Van Valen
298:"Ecological species, multispecies, and oaks" (1976), Taxon, 25:233–239.
172:
164:
139:
Amongst other work, Van Valen's proposed "Law of
Extinction", known as
353:"The evolution of menopause", Evolutionary Theory 12 (2003), 131–153.
344:"Biotal evolution: a manifesto", Evolutionary Theory 10 (1991), 1–13.
329:"Individualistic classes", Philosophy of Science 43 (1977), 539–541.
857:
No. of eggs of benthic marine invertebrates decreases with latitude
548:
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338:"Homology and causes", Journal of Morphology 173 (1982), 305–312.
326:"Group selection, sex, and fossils", Evolution 29 (1975), 87–94.
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176:
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Hybrid sexes that are absent, rare, or sterile, are heterogamic
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Insect social parasites are often in same genus as their hosts
379:"Revisiting Leigh Van Valen's "A New Evolutionary Law" (1973)"
317:"A new evolutionary law", Evolutionary Theory 1 (1973), 1–30.
201:
He was also interested in fields outside biology, including
867:
Probability of extinction of a group is constant over time
847:
The top of an animals coloration is darker than the bottom
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Birds lay only as many eggs as they can provide food for
425:"Leigh Van Valen, Evolution Revolutionary, Dies at 76"
123:(August 12, 1935 – October 16, 2010) was an American
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586:
507:
Family history, Leigh's daughter
Katrina Van Valen.
477:"Van Valen, known for 'Red Queen' hypothesis, dies"
179:cells be defined as a new species, which was named
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72:
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757:An animals metabolic rate decreases with its size
190:, prior to the formalization of this concept by
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916:Where genetics opposes environment as a factor
678:Host and parasite phylogenies become congruent
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717:Lighter coloration in colder, drier climates
737:Parasites co-vary in size with their hosts
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807:Latitudinal range increases with latitude
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147:(1973), as an explanatory tangent to the
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256:Van Valen died on October 16, 2010, of
648:Loss of complex traits is irreversible
517:Official University of Chicago website
444:"Some aspects of mathematical ecology"
598:Shorter appendages in colder climates
544:Web page dedicated to Leigh Van Valen
7:
423:Martin, Douglas (October 30, 2010).
262:St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center
186:Van Valen originated the concept of
707:Complete competitors cannot coexist
608:Extra limbs mirror their neighbours
276:Van Valen's description of his work
194:. He was the editor of the journal
658:Parasites co-vary with their hosts
442:Leigh, Van Valen (April 4, 1975).
294:Van Valen's publications include:
25:
970:American academic journal editors
638:Larger bodies in deep-sea animals
965:Deaths from leukemia in Illinois
945:American evolutionary biologists
896:
618:Larger bodies in colder climates
539:University of Chicago homepage
1:
955:University of Chicago faculty
241:. As a graduate student at
175:. In 1991, he proposed that
628:Bodies get larger over time
377:Solé, Ricard (2022-06-01).
163:Van Valen also defined the
986:
396:10.1007/s13752-021-00391-w
173:Biological Species Concept
165:Ecological Species Concept
913:Countergradient variation
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763:Hennig's progression rule
157:Through the Looking-Glass
39:
167:in 1976, in contrast to
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247:George Gaylord Simpson
135:Research and interests
125:evolutionary biologist
103:Evolutionary biologist
773:Jarman–Bell principle
251:Theodosius Dobzhansky
223:philosophy of science
129:University of Chicago
196:Evolutionary Theory,
145:Red Queen hypothesis
113:Red Queen Hypothesis
245:, he studied under
243:Columbia University
833:Schmalhausen's law
634:Deep-sea gigantism
522:2010-06-09 at the
429:The New York Times
207:probability theory
181:Helacyton gartleri
27:American biologist
18:Leigh M. Van Valen
932:
931:
688:Insular gigantism
674:Fahrenholz's rule
485:. 20 October 2010
383:Biological Theory
266:Chicago, Illinois
149:Law of Extinction
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84:Chicago, Illinois
46:Van Valen in 1981
16:(Redirected from
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153:Lewis Carroll's
141:Van Valen's law
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121:Leigh Van Valen
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62:August 12, 1935
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34:Leigh Van Valen
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843:Thayer's law
664:Emery's rule
594:Allen's rule
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487:. Retrieved
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450:. Retrieved
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290:Publications
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219:epistemology
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78:(2010-10-16)
960:2010 deaths
950:1935 births
823:Rosa's rule
703:Gause's law
644:Dollo's law
624:Cope's rule
91:Nationality
939:Categories
489:21 October
364:References
192:L.A. Zadeh
188:fuzzy sets
169:Ernst Mayr
99:Occupation
58:1935-08-12
405:1555-5550
258:pneumonia
229:Biography
520:Archived
270:leukemia
221:and the
94:American
906:Related
452:May 26,
403:
587:Rules
447:(PDF)
211:logic
491:2010
454:2018
401:ISSN
303:HeLa
249:and
239:Ohio
177:HeLa
73:Died
52:Born
391:doi
264:in
260:at
237:in
171:'s
941::
694:)
690:,
493:.
479:.
427:.
413:^
399:.
387:17
385:.
381:.
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217:,
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131:.
686:(
572:e
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456:.
431:.
407:.
393::
301:"
60:)
56:(
20:)
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