Evo-devo: extending the evolutionary synthesis

Abstract

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) explores the mechanistic relationships between the processes of individual development and phenotypic change during evolution. Although evo-devo is widely acknowledged to be revolutionizing our understanding of how the development of organisms has evolved, its substantial implications for the theoretical basis of evolution are often overlooked. This essay identifies major theoretical themes of current evo-devo research and highlights how its results take evolutionary theory beyond the boundaries of the Modern Synthesis.