Evolution and Development
Conceptual Issues

A philosophical exploration of the interdisciplinary nature of evo-devo and its concepts, including conserved mechanisms, deep homology, and evolutionary novelty.

Alan C. Love (Author)

9781009468022, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 March 2024

98 pages
23.5 x 16 x 1.2 cm, 0.295 kg

The intersection of development and evolution has always harbored conceptual issues, but many of these are on display in contemporary evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo). These issues include: (1) the precise constitution of evo-devo, with its focus on both the evolution of development and the developmental basis of evolution, and how it fits within evolutionary theory; (2) the nature of evo-devo model systems that comprise the material of comparative and experimental research; (3) the puzzle of how to understand the widely used notion of 'conserved mechanisms'; (4) the definition of evolutionary novelties and expectations for how to explain them; and (5) the demand of interdisciplinary collaboration that derives from investigating complex phenomena at key moments in the history of life, such as the fin-limb transition. This Element treats these conceptual issues with close attention to both empirical detail and scientific practice to offer new perspectives on evolution and development. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

1. What is Evo-Devo?
2 Model Organisms (and More)
3 Conserved Mechanisms: The Very Idea
4 The Many Facets of Evolutionary Novelty
5 Interdisciplinarity and Explanation in Evo-Devo
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Philosophy of science [PDA]