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There was a time (roughly 1850-1950) when naturalists were searching for law-like phenomena (physics envy?) to better understand the evolution of species.
How many of these do you know?
Do you know of any others? Add to the list!
How many of these do you know?
Do you know of any others? Add to the list!
On a side (contextual) note: During that same period of time, physics was formalizing the so-called laws of thermodynamics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laws_of_thermodynamics
Dollo's law: irreversible evolution of form
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollo%27s_law_of_irreversibility
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollo%27s_law_of_irreversibility
Jordan's rule: number of meristic characters and water temperature
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan%27s_rule
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan%27s_rule
Bergmnan's rule: larger size in colder environment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergmann%27s_rule
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergmann%27s_rule
Allen's rule: shorter limbs in colder environments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen%27s_rule
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen%27s_rule
Cope's rule: increase in body size over evolutionary time
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cope%27s_rule
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cope%27s_rule
Kleiber's law: body size and metabolic rate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleiber%27s_law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleiber%27s_law
Rensch's rule: increase body size and sexual dimorphism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rensch%27s_rule
Williston's law: reduction number of skull bones https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.1330200202
Williston's law: number of serial homologous
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Wendell_Williston
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Wendell_Williston
Buckman's rules of covariation: relations of shell form traits https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-9633-0_4
Haeckel's Biogenetic laws: ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny
https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ernst-haeckels-biogenetic-law-1866#:~:text=The%20biogenetic%20law%20is%20a,animals'%20adult%20stages%20or%20forms.
https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ernst-haeckels-biogenetic-law-1866#:~:text=The%20biogenetic%20law%20is%20a,animals'%20adult%20stages%20or%20forms.
Bonus (contemporary) treat. McShea's biology first law: diversity and complexity increase in evolutionary systems https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo8642428.html
