TAM explores mechanisms of evolution in which persistent stress activates epigenetic responses that help organisms adjust.
TAM proposes that these responses may favor gene duplication and adaptive mutations related to the stressed function.
Natural selection may act throughout this evolutionary process whenever heritable variants affect survival or reproduction.
Darwin called the apparently rapid rise of flowering plants an “abominable mystery.” Their origin predates the K–Pg boundary, but their later expansion and diversification remain incompletely resolved.
This schematic presents a TAM hypothesis: repeated environmental stress and population bottlenecks may favor genome duplication, survival, recovery, and subsequent diversification.
TAM uses a theoretical–deductive framework to generate testable predictions about when these evolutionary transitions should occur.
A persistent challenge—such as heat, toxins, scarcity, predation or disease—creates a specific functional demand.
The organism first responds through reversible changes in gene expression, regulation and phenotype.
Under prolonged demand, duplication can provide an extra gene copy, preserving the original function while creating evolutionary freedom.
TAM hypothesizes that, following gene duplication, stress-related mutations may occur preferentially in the duplicated copy, while the original gene preserves its essential function.
Natural selection may act repeatedly throughout the TAM pathway whenever heritable variants affect survival or reproduction. Across generations, it favors lineages better adapted to specific environmental pressures.
The book presents the Theory of Ad Hoc Mutations, proposing a testable pathway linking environmental stress, epigenetic response, gene duplication, mutation, and natural selection.
The Theory of Ad Hoc Mutations proposes a testable pathway linking environmental stress to adaptive evolutionary change.
Environmental stress activates epigenetic responses and creates functional demands that may guide subsequent adaptive change.
The proposed pathway links epigenetic response, gene duplication, and ad hoc mutation, while natural selection may act repeatedly whenever heritable variants affect survival or reproduction.