Evolvability

A Unifying Concept in Evolutionary Biology?

Thomas F. Hansen, David Houle, Mihaela Pavličev, Christophe Pélabon, Gerd B. Müller, Katrin Schäfer, Thomas Pradeu

• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Year: 2023
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9780262374705
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Evolvability—the capability of organisms to evolve—wasn't recognized as a fundamental concept in evolutionary theory until 1990. Though there is still some debate as to whether it represents a truly new concept, the essays in this volume emphasize its value in enabling new research programs and facilitating communication among the major disciplines in evolutionary biology. The contributors, many of whom were instrumental in the development of the concept of evolvability, synthesize what we have learned about it over the past thirty years. They focus on the historical and philosophical contexts that influenced the emergence of the concept and suggest ways to develop a common language and theory to drive further evolvability research.

The essays, drawn from a workshop on evolvability hosted in 2019–2020 by the Center of Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, in Oslo, provide scientific and historical background on evolvability. The contributors represent different disciplines of evolutionary biology, including quantitative and population genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, systems biology, and macroevolution, as well as the philosophy of science. This plurality of approaches allows researchers in disciplines as diverse as developmental biology, molecular biology, and systems biology to communicate with those working in mainstream evolutionary biology. The contributors also discuss key questions at the forefront of research on evolvability.

Contributors:
J. David Aponte, W. Scott Armbruster, Geir H. Bolstad, Salomé Bourg, Ingo Brigandt, Anne Calof, James M. Cheverud, Josselin Clo, Frietson Galis, Mark Grabowski, Rebecca Green, Benedikt Hallgrímsson, Thomas F. Hansen, Agnes Holstad, David Houle, David Jablonski, Arthur Lander, Arnaud LeRouzic, Alan C. Love, Ralph Marcucio, Michael B. Morrissey, Laura Nuño de la Rosa, Øystein H. Opedal, Mihaela Pavličev, Christophe Pélabon, Jane M. Reid, Heather Richbourg, Jacqueline L. Sztepanacz, Masahito Tsuboi, Cristina Villegas, Marta Vidal-García, Kjetil L. Voje, Andreas Wagner, Günter P. Wagner, Nathan M. Young

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Series Foreword
• 1. Introduction: Evolvability
• 2. A History of Evolvability: Reconstructing and Explaining the Origination of a Research Agenda
• 3. Conceptual Roles of Evolvability across Evolutionary Biology: Between Diversity and Unification
• 4. Evolvability as a Disposition: Philosophical Distinctions, Scientific Implications
• 5. Variation, Inheritance, and Evolution: A Primer on Evolutionary Quantitative Genetics
• 6. Measuring Evolvability
• 7. The Evolution of Evolvability
• 8. The Genotype-Phenotype Map Structure and Its Role in Evolvability
• 9. The Developmental Basis for Evolvability
• 10. Models of Contingent Evolvability Suggest Dynamical Instabilities in Body Shape Evolution
• 11. Mutational Robustness and Evolvability
• 12. Evolvability, Sexual Selection, and Mating Strategies
• 13. Can We Explain Variation in Evolvability on Ecological Timescales?
• 14. Does Lack of Evolvability Constrain Adaptation? If So, on What Timescales?
• 15. Evolvability of Flowers: Macroevolutionary Indicators of Adaptive Paths of Least Resistance
• 16. Evolvability of Body Plans: On Phylotypic Stages, Developmental Modularity, and an Ancient Metazoan Constraint
• 17. Evolvability and Macroevolution
• 18. Conclusion: Is Evolvability a New and Unifying Concept?
• Contributors
• Index