Premium
Quantifying the impact of development on phenotypic variation and evolution
Author(s) -
Sears Karen E.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of experimental zoology part b: molecular and developmental evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-5015
pISSN - 1552-5007
DOI - 10.1002/jez.b.22592
Subject(s) - biology , evolutionary biology , natural selection , variation (astronomy) , phenotype , selection (genetic algorithm) , marsupial , microevolution , population , evolutionary developmental biology , zoology , genetics , demography , gene , physics , artificial intelligence , sociology , astrophysics , computer science
A primary goal of evolutionary biology is to identify the factors that shape phenotypic evolution. According to the theory of natural selection, phenotypic evolution occurs through the differential survival and reproduction of individuals whose traits are selectively advantageous relative to other individuals in the population. This implies that evolution by natural selection is contingent upon the distribution and magnitude of phenotypic variation among individuals, which are in turn the products of developmental processes. Development therefore has the potential to affect the trajectory and rate of phenotypic evolution. Recent research in diverse systems (e.g., mammalian teeth, cichlid skulls, butterfly wings, and marsupial limbs) supports the hypothesis that development biases phenotypic variation and evolution, but suggests that these biases might be system‐specific. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 322B: 643–653, 2014 . © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.