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Twenty years on from Developmental Plasticity and Evolution : middle-range theories and how to test them

Uller, Tobias LU ; Milocco, Lisandro LU ; Isanta-Navarro, Jana LU ; Cornwallis, Charlie K. LU and Feiner, Nathalie LU (2024) In Journal of Experimental Biology 227.
Abstract

In Developmental Plasticity and Evolution, Mary-Jane West-Eberhard argued that the developmental mechanisms that enable organisms to respond to their environment are fundamental causes of adaptation and diversification. Twenty years after publication of this book, this once so highly controversial claim appears to have been assimilated by a wealth of studies on ‘plasticity-led’ evolution. However, we suggest that the role of development in explanations for adaptive evolution remains underappreciated in this body of work. By combining concepts of evolvability from evolutionary developmental biology and quantitative genetics, we outline a framework that is more appropriate to identify developmental causes of adaptive evolution. This... (More)

In Developmental Plasticity and Evolution, Mary-Jane West-Eberhard argued that the developmental mechanisms that enable organisms to respond to their environment are fundamental causes of adaptation and diversification. Twenty years after publication of this book, this once so highly controversial claim appears to have been assimilated by a wealth of studies on ‘plasticity-led’ evolution. However, we suggest that the role of development in explanations for adaptive evolution remains underappreciated in this body of work. By combining concepts of evolvability from evolutionary developmental biology and quantitative genetics, we outline a framework that is more appropriate to identify developmental causes of adaptive evolution. This framework demonstrates how experimental and comparative developmental biology and physiology can be leveraged to put the role of plasticity in evolution to the test.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adaptive landscape, Development, Evolution, Evolvability, Morphospace, Plasticity
in
Journal of Experimental Biology
volume
227
article number
jeb246375
publisher
The Company of Biologists Ltd
external identifiers
  • scopus:85187207399
  • pmid:38449333
ISSN
0022-0949
DOI
10.1242/jeb.246375
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e65f8e2c-1156-4afc-add0-972c6d599c68
date added to LUP
2024-04-09 13:41:22
date last changed
2024-12-18 17:54:22
@article{e65f8e2c-1156-4afc-add0-972c6d599c68,
  abstract     = {{<p>In Developmental Plasticity and Evolution, Mary-Jane West-Eberhard argued that the developmental mechanisms that enable organisms to respond to their environment are fundamental causes of adaptation and diversification. Twenty years after publication of this book, this once so highly controversial claim appears to have been assimilated by a wealth of studies on ‘plasticity-led’ evolution. However, we suggest that the role of development in explanations for adaptive evolution remains underappreciated in this body of work. By combining concepts of evolvability from evolutionary developmental biology and quantitative genetics, we outline a framework that is more appropriate to identify developmental causes of adaptive evolution. This framework demonstrates how experimental and comparative developmental biology and physiology can be leveraged to put the role of plasticity in evolution to the test.</p>}},
  author       = {{Uller, Tobias and Milocco, Lisandro and Isanta-Navarro, Jana and Cornwallis, Charlie K. and Feiner, Nathalie}},
  issn         = {{0022-0949}},
  keywords     = {{Adaptive landscape; Development; Evolution; Evolvability; Morphospace; Plasticity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{The Company of Biologists Ltd}},
  series       = {{Journal of Experimental Biology}},
  title        = {{Twenty years on from Developmental Plasticity and Evolution : middle-range theories and how to test them}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.246375}},
  doi          = {{10.1242/jeb.246375}},
  volume       = {{227}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}