Inferring directions of evolution from patterns of variation: The legacy of Sergei Meyen

In the era of the extended evolutionary synthesis, which no longer considers natural selection as the only leading factor of evolution, it is meaningful to revisit the legacy of biologists who discussed the role of alternative factors. Here we analyze the evolutionary views of Sergei Meyen (1935-1987), a paleobotanist who argued that the theory of evolution should incorporate a “nomothetical” approach which infers the laws of morphogenesis (i.e., form generation) from the observed patterns of variation in living organisms and in the fossil records. Meyen developed a theory of “repeated polymorphic sets” (RPSs), which he applied consistently to describe inter-organism variation in populations, intra-organism variation of metameric organs, variation of abnormalities, heterotopy, changes during embryo development, and inter-species variation within evolutionary lineages. The notion of RPS assumes the active nature of organisms that possess hidden morphogenic and behavioral capacities. Meyen's theory is compatible with Darwin's natural selection; however, Meyen emphasized the importance of other forms of selection (e.g., selection of developmental trajectories, habitats, and behaviors) in choosing specific elements from the RPS. Finally, Meyen developed a new typological concept of time, where time represents variability (i.e., change) of real objects such as living organisms or geological formations.