Energy and fitness: Power is not all-powerful in evolution

Vermeij, Grosberg, and Roopnarine (VGR) argue that evolution is best understood through a "power-centered model" (PCM) in which natural selection favors increasing power to acquire and expend energy (1).In contrast, the Equal Fitness Paradigm (EFP), grounded in first principles of energetics and demography, predicts nearly equal fitness across species (2-6).