Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution

E473475

evolutionary theory population genetics theory scientific theory

Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution is a foundational concept in evolutionary biology proposing that most genetic variation and molecular changes are selectively neutral and shaped primarily by random genetic drift rather than natural selection.

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All labels observed (8)

Label	Occurrences
neutral theory of molecular evolution	4
The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution	3
Kimura 1968 Nature paper "Evolutionary Rate at the Molecular Level"	1
Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution	1
Motoo Kimura 1983 book "The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution"	1
Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution canonical	1
Motoo Kimura’s neutral theory of molecular evolution	1
『分子進化の中立説』	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T4847743 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution
Context triple: [Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography, influencedBy, Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution]

A. Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography
Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography is an influential ecological theory proposing that biodiversity patterns and species abundances can be explained by assuming ecological equivalence among individuals regardless of species.
B. Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection
Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection is a key principle in evolutionary biology stating that the rate of increase in fitness of a population is proportional to its genetic variance in fitness.
C. Evolution in Mendelian Populations
"Evolution in Mendelian Populations" is a foundational 1931 paper by Sewall Wright that introduced key concepts of population genetics, including genetic drift, inbreeding, and the shifting balance theory of evolution.
D. Genetics of the Evolutionary Process
Genetics of the Evolutionary Process is a seminal work in evolutionary biology that synthesizes genetic principles with natural selection to explain how evolutionary change occurs within and between populations.
E. The Roles of Mutation, Inbreeding, Crossbreeding and Selection in Evolution
"The Roles of Mutation, Inbreeding, Crossbreeding and Selection in Evolution" is a landmark 1932 paper by geneticist Sewall Wright that helped establish the theoretical foundations of population genetics and modern evolutionary theory.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution
Target entity description: Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution is a foundational concept in evolutionary biology proposing that most genetic variation and molecular changes are selectively neutral and shaped primarily by random genetic drift rather than natural selection.

A. Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography
Unified Neutral Theory of Biodiversity and Biogeography is an influential ecological theory proposing that biodiversity patterns and species abundances can be explained by assuming ecological equivalence among individuals regardless of species.
B. Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection
Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection is a key principle in evolutionary biology stating that the rate of increase in fitness of a population is proportional to its genetic variance in fitness.
C. Evolution in Mendelian Populations
"Evolution in Mendelian Populations" is a foundational 1931 paper by Sewall Wright that introduced key concepts of population genetics, including genetic drift, inbreeding, and the shifting balance theory of evolution.
D. Genetics of the Evolutionary Process
Genetics of the Evolutionary Process is a seminal work in evolutionary biology that synthesizes genetic principles with natural selection to explain how evolutionary change occurs within and between populations.
E. The Roles of Mutation, Inbreeding, Crossbreeding and Selection in Evolution
"The Roles of Mutation, Inbreeding, Crossbreeding and Selection in Evolution" is a landmark 1932 paper by geneticist Sewall Wright that helped establish the theoretical foundations of population genetics and modern evolutionary theory.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	evolutionary theory ⓘ population genetics theory ⓘ scientific theory ⓘ
addresses	discrepancy between phenotypic evolution and molecular evolution rates ⓘ explanation of high levels of protein polymorphism ⓘ
assumes	effective population size influences fixation of neutral mutations ⓘ many mutations are selectively neutral or nearly neutral ⓘ
clarifies	distinction between molecular evolution and phenotypic evolution ⓘ
contrastsWith	classical Darwinian view that most substitutions are driven by positive selection ⓘ
coreClaim	most evolutionary changes at the molecular level are selectively neutral ⓘ most polymorphisms at the molecular level are selectively neutral ⓘ
criticizedFor	underestimating the role of positive selection at the molecular level ⓘ
emphasizes	role of genetic drift over natural selection at the molecular level ⓘ
field	evolutionary biology ⓘ molecular evolution ⓘ population genetics ⓘ
historicalContext	developed during early era of molecular biology and sequencing ⓘ formulated after discovery of extensive protein polymorphism by electrophoresis ⓘ
influenced	development of molecular population genetics ⓘ interpretation of DNA and protein sequence data ⓘ models of sequence evolution used in phylogenetics ⓘ tests for detecting natural selection at the molecular level ⓘ
influencedBy	Wrightian population genetics ⓘ linked to: Evolution and the Genetics of Populations diffusion theory in population genetics ⓘ
keyPublication	Kimura 1968 Nature paper "Evolutionary Rate at the Molecular Level" ⓘ linked to: Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution Motoo Kimura 1983 book "The Neutral Theory of Molecular Evolution" ⓘ linked to: Motoo Kimura's neutral theory of molecular evolution
mechanism	mutation ⓘ random genetic drift ⓘ
predicts	high levels of molecular polymorphism within populations ⓘ molecular clock-like constancy of substitution rates over time ⓘ rate of neutral substitution equals neutral mutation rate ⓘ weak correlation between molecular change and organismal adaptation ⓘ
proposedBy	Motoo Kimura ⓘ
publicationYear	1968 ⓘ
relatedConcept	genetic drift ⓘ molecular clock hypothesis ⓘ molecular polymorphism ⓘ nearly neutral theory of molecular evolution ⓘ selective neutrality ⓘ synonymous substitution ⓘ
scope	focuses on molecular changes rather than phenotypic adaptations ⓘ
status	baseline null model for molecular evolution ⓘ foundational concept in modern evolutionary biology ⓘ
supportedBy	high levels of silent and synonymous variation in genomes ⓘ observations of approximately constant amino acid substitution rates ⓘ
usedIn	design of neutrality tests such as Tajima's D ⓘ interpretation of polymorphism and divergence data ⓘ models of codon and nucleotide substitution ⓘ

How these facts were elicited