Microbiology has unraveled rich evidence of ongoing reticulate evolutionary processes and complex interactions both within and between cells. These phenomena feature real biological networks, which can logically be analyzed using network-based tools. It is thus not surprising that network sciences, a field independent from evolutionary biology and microbiology, have recently pervasively infused their methods into both fields. Importantly, network tools bring forward observations enhancing the understanding of three core evolutionary concepts: variation, fitness, and heredity. Consequently, our work shows how network sciences can enhance evolutionary theory by explaining the evolution by natural selection of a broad diversity of units of selection, while updating the popular figure of Darwin's tree of life with a comprehensive sketch of the networks of evolution.

中文翻译：

---

网络通过自然选择巩固了进化的核心概念。

微生物学已经揭示了正在进行的网状进化过程以及细胞内和细胞间复杂相互作用的丰富证据。这些现象具有真实的生物网络特征，可以使用基于网络的工具对其进行逻辑分析。因此，毫不奇怪的是，网络科学这个独立于进化生物学和微生物学的领域，最近已将其方法广泛地注入了这两个领域。重要的是，网络工具提出了可增强对三个核心进化概念的理解的观察力：变异，适应性和遗传。因此，我们的工作展示了网络科学如何通过自然选择各种选择单元来解释进化，同时更新了达尔文（Darwin）的流行人物，从而增强了进化理论。