Interactor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An interactor is an entity that natural selection acts upon.
Interactor is a concept commonly used in the field of evolutionary biology. A widely accepted theory of evolution is the theory from Charles Darwin. He states, in short, that in a population there is often variation in heritable traits among individuals, in which a form of the trait might be more beneficial than the other form(s). Due to this difference, the chance of getting more adjusted offspring to the environment is higher.[1] The process describing the selection of the environment on the traits of organisms is called natural selection. Based on this idea natural selection seems to act on traits of individuals, which evolutionary biologist like to call the interactor. So stated in a different way; an interactor is defined as a part of an organism that natural selection acts upon.
Replicators and vehicles
Replicators
Other terms that are often mentioned in the same context as interactors, are replicators and vehicles. When replicators are mentioned, they mean things that pass on their entire structure through successive replications, like genes. This is not the same as an interactor, as interactors are things that interact with their environment and natural selection can act upon. Due to this interaction with the environment, interactors cause differential replication. However, some things (for example genes) can be both replicators and interactors.
Vehicles
Vehicles are often used as a synonym of interactors, only in a way that vehicles can "drive" natural selection, as if they have the behaviour to steer natural selection in a specific way. The term "vehicle" makes it look that way and therefore some people (like Hull) prefer the word "interactor" to "vehicle" for the same concept. An example of an interactor is the shell colour of snails (see below).
