scholarly journals The role of developmental plasticity in evolutionary innovation

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1719) ◽  
pp. 2705-2713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armin P. Moczek ◽  
Sonia Sultan ◽  
Susan Foster ◽  
Cris Ledón-Rettig ◽  
Ian Dworkin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Evolutionary Time ◽  
Dependent Development ◽  
Genetic Accommodation ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Novel Traits

Explaining the origins of novel traits is central to evolutionary biology. Longstanding theory suggests that developmental plasticity, the ability of an individual to modify its development in response to environmental conditions, might facilitate the evolution of novel traits. Yet whether and how such developmental flexibility promotes innovations that persist over evolutionary time remains unclear. Here, we examine three distinct ways by which developmental plasticity can promote evolutionary innovation. First, we show how the process of genetic accommodation provides a feasible and possibly common avenue by which environmentally induced phenotypes can become subject to heritable modification. Second, we posit that the developmental underpinnings of plasticity increase the degrees of freedom by which environmental and genetic factors influence ontogeny, thereby diversifying targets for evolutionary processes to act on and increasing opportunities for the construction of novel, functional and potentially adaptive phenotypes. Finally, we examine the developmental genetic architectures of environment-dependent trait expression, and highlight their specific implications for the evolutionary origin of novel traits. We critically review the empirical evidence supporting each of these processes, and propose future experiments and tests that would further illuminate the interplay between environmental factors, condition-dependent development, and the initiation and elaboration of novel phenotypes.

New Developments in Evolutionary Innovation

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Darwinian Evolution ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Equilibrium Speciation

Evolutionary thinking has grown significantly and has had a profound impact on various fields such as economics, strategy, and technological innovation. An important paradigm that underlies the evolutionary theory of innovation is neo-Darwinian evolution. According to this paradigm, evolution is gradualist and is based on the mechanisms of variation, selection, and retention. Starting from the 1970s, new theoretical advancements in evolutionary biology have recognized the central role of punctuated equilibrium, speciation, and exaptation. However, despite their significant influence in evolutionary biology, these advancements have been reflected only partially in evolutionary approaches to economics, strategy, and technological innovation. The aim of this book is to review these advancements and explore their implications, with a particular emphasis on the role of serendipity and unpre-stateability in innovation and novelty creation.

scholarly journals Evolution of, and via, Developmental Plasticity: Insights through the Study of Scaling Relationships

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1346-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Casasa ◽  
Armin P Moczek
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Differential Growth ◽  
Genetic Accommodation ◽  
Developmental Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Scaling Relationships ◽  
Genetic Mechanisms

AbstractScaling relationships emerge from differential growth of body parts relative to each other. As such, scaling relationships are at least in part the product of developmental plasticity. While some of the developmental genetic mechanisms underlying scaling relationships are starting to be elucidated, how these mechanisms evolve and give rise to the enormous diversity of allometric scaling observed in nature is less understood. Furthermore, developmental plasticity has itself been proposed as a mechanism that facilitates adaptation and diversification, yet its role in the developmental evolution of scaling relationships remains largely unknown. In this review, we first explore how the mechanisms of scaling relationships have evolved. We primarily focus on insect development and review how pathway components and pathway interactions have evolved across taxa to regulate scaling relationships across diverse traits. We then discuss the potential role of developmental plasticity in the evolution of scaling relationships. Specifically, we address the potential role of allometric plasticity and cryptic genetic variation in allometry in facilitating divergence via genetic accommodation. Collectively, in this article, we aim to bring together two aspects of developmental plasticity: the mechanistic underpinnings of scaling relationships and their evolution, and the potential role that plasticity plays in the evolutionary diversification of scaling relationships.

Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günter P. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Major Transitions ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Historical Continuity ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Character Identity

Homology—a similar trait shared by different species and derived from common ancestry, such as a seal's fin and a bird's wing—is one of the most fundamental yet challenging concepts in evolutionary biology. This book provides the first mechanistically based theory of what homology is and how it arises in evolution. The book argues that homology, or character identity, can be explained through the historical continuity of character identity networks—that is, the gene regulatory networks that enable differential gene expression. It shows how character identity is independent of the form and function of the character itself because the same network can activate different effector genes and thus control the development of different shapes, sizes, and qualities of the character. Demonstrating how this theoretical model can provide a foundation for understanding the evolutionary origin of novel characters, the book applies it to the origin and evolution of specific systems, such as cell types; skin, hair, and feathers; limbs and digits; and flowers. The first major synthesis of homology to be published in decades, this book reveals how a mechanistically based theory can serve as a unifying concept for any branch of science concerned with the structure and development of organisms, and how it can help explain major transitions in evolution and broad patterns of biological diversity.

On the Use of Quantum Thermal Bath in Unimolecular Fragmentation Simulations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Spezia ◽  
Hichem Dammak
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Molecular Simulations ◽  
Zero Point ◽  
Thermal Bath ◽  
Unimolecular Dissociation ◽  
Point Energy ◽  
Rotational Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Nuclear Effects

<div> <div> <div> <p>In the present work we have investigated the possibility of using the Quantum Thermal Bath (QTB) method in molecular simulations of unimolecular dissociation processes. Notably, QTB is aimed in introducing quantum nuclear effects with a com- putational time which is basically the same as in newtonian simulations. At this end we have considered the model fragmentation of CH4 for which an analytical function is present in the literature. Moreover, based on the same model a microcanonical algorithm which monitor zero-point energy of products, and eventually modifies tra- jectories, was recently proposed. We have thus compared classical and quantum rate constant with these different models. QTB seems to correctly reproduce some quantum features, in particular the difference between classical and quantum activation energies, making it a promising method to study unimolecular fragmentation of much complex systems with molecular simulations. The role of QTB thermostat on rotational degrees of freedom is also analyzed and discussed. </p> </div> </div> </div>

Epigenetic factors and molecular markers of the risk of early pregnancy losses

GYNECOLOGY ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Nataly I Frolova ◽  
Tatiana E Belokrinitskaya
Keyword(s):  
Early Pregnancy ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Pregnancy Complication ◽  
Common Complication ◽  
Epigenetic Factors ◽  
Genetic Determination ◽  
Periconceptional Period ◽  
Combined Impact

Background. Miscarriage is a common complication in early pregnancy. Current studies have shown a higher prevalence of miscarriage, ranging from 10 to 20%. The review is devoted to modern concepts of etiology and pathogenesis of early pregnancy losses. Aim. Assess the role of epigenetic factors and molecular-genetic markers in the pathogenesis and prediction of early pregnancy losses Materials and methods. In order to write this review domestic and foreign publications were searched in Russian and international search systems (PubMed, eLibrary, etc.) for the last 10-15 years. Relevant articles from the peer-reviewed literature and clinical practice guidelines were included. Results. Many recent studies have proved the contribution of various epigenetic factors to the pathogenesis of spontaneous miscarriages, and the molecular-genetic determination such kinds of pregnancy complication has been confirmed. Conclusion. The miscarriage in early gestation is driven by combined impact of epigenetic and molecular-genetic factors, as well as the presence of intergenic interactions. It is may lead to deterioration of physiological functions, and maternal pathologenic pathways could be changed as during her periconceptional period as so during the pregnancy.

Role of genetic factors in the development of hypertension in young patients with metabolic syndrome

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-32
Author(s):  
Elena Korneeva ◽  
Mikhail Voevoda ◽  
Sergey Semaev ◽  
Vladimir Maksimov
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Arterial Hypertension ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Integrin Αiibβ3 ◽  
Ace Gene ◽  
The Metabolic Syndrome

Results of the study related to polymorphism of ACE gene (rs1799752)‎, integrin αIIbβ3, and CSK gene (rs1378942) influencing development of arterial hypertension in young patients with metabolic syndrome are presented. Hypertension as a component of the metabolic syndrome was detected in 15.0% of young patients. Prevalence of mutant alleles of the studied genes among the examined patients was quite high, so homozygous DD genotype was found in 21.6%, and mutant D allele of the ACE gene in 47.4%. A high risk of hypertension in patients with MS was detected in carriers of the T allele of the CSK (rs1378942) gene – 54.8%, which was most often observed in a combination of polymorphic ACE and CSK gene loci (p = 0.0053).

Developmental Plasticity and Evolution

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Jane West-Eberhard
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Physiological Adaptation ◽  
Modular Organization ◽  
Random Mutation ◽  
Environmental Induction ◽  
Development And Evolution

The first comprehensive synthesis on development and evolution: it applies to all aspects of development, at all levels of organization and in all organisms, taking advantage of modern findings on behavior, genetics, endocrinology, molecular biology, evolutionary theory and phylogenetics to show the connections between developmental mechanisms and evolutionary change. This book solves key problems that have impeded a definitive synthesis in the past. It uses new concepts and specific examples to show how to relate environmentally sensitive development to the genetic theory of adaptive evolution and to explain major patterns of change. In this book development includes not only embryology and the ontogeny of morphology, sometimes portrayed inadequately as governed by "regulatory genes," but also behavioral development and physiological adaptation, where plasticity is mediated by genetically complex mechanisms like hormones and learning. The book shows how the universal qualities of phenotypes--modular organization and plasticity--facilitate both integration and change. Here you will learn why it is wrong to describe organisms as genetically programmed; why environmental induction is likely to be more important in evolution than random mutation; and why it is crucial to consider both selection and developmental mechanism in explanations of adaptive evolution. This book satisfies the need for a truly general book on development, plasticity and evolution that applies to living organisms in all of their life stages and environments. Using an immense compendium of examples on many kinds of organisms, from viruses and bacteria to higher plants and animals, it shows how the phenotype is reorganized during evolution to produce novelties, and how alternative phenotypes occupy a pivotal role as a phase of evolution that fosters diversification and speeds change. The arguments of this book call for a new view of the major themes of evolutionary biology, as shown in chapters on gradualism, homology, environmental induction, speciation, radiation, macroevolution, punctuation, and the maintenance of sex. No other treatment of development and evolution since Darwin's offers such a comprehensive and critical discussion of the relevant issues. Developmental Plasticity and Evolution is designed for biologists interested in the development and evolution of behavior, life-history patterns, ecology, physiology, morphology and speciation. It will also appeal to evolutionary paleontologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and teachers of general biology.

It Keeps Me Seeking

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Briggs ◽  
Hans Halvorson ◽  
Andrew Steane
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Good Argument ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Argument From Design ◽  
Relationship Of

Two scientists and a philosopher aim to show how science both enriches and is enriched by Christian faith. The text is written around four themes: 1. God is a being to be known, not a hypothesis to be tested; 2. We set a high bar on what constitutes good argument; 3. Uncertainty is OK; 4. We are allowed to open up the window that the natural world offers us. This is not a work of apologetics. Rather, the text takes an overview of various themes and gives reactions and responses, intended to place science correctly as a valued component of the life of faith. The difference between philosophical analysis and theological reflection is expounded. Questions of human identity are addressed from philosophy, computer science, quantum physics, evolutionary biology and theological reflection. Contemporary physics reveals the subtle and open nature of physical existence, and offers lessons in how to learn and how to live with incomplete knowledge. The nature and role of miracles is considered. The ‘argument from design’ is critiqued, especially arguments from fine-tuning. Logical derivation from impersonal facts is not an appropriate route to a relationship of mutual trust. Mainstream evolutionary biology is assessed to be a valuable component of our understanding, but no exploratory process can itself fully account for the nature of what is discovered. To engage deeply in science is to seek truth and to seek a better future; it is also an activity of appreciation, as one may appreciate a work of art.

Limited Extended Inheritance

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Merlin
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Biology

This chapter addresses the question of the extension of biological inheritance in the light of the fact that organisms inherit much more than DNA. Starting from recent proposals to reconceive the concept of biological inheritance, the chapter shows that one of the main assumptions in the literature is simply taken for granted without providing any evidence or argument to support it. The chapter first analyzes four distinctions—and the lessons drawn from them—and then proposes a redefinition of inheritance, which brings to the fore its privileged link with reproduction and the specific theoretical role of this concept in evolutionary biology.

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