2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio González-Forero ◽  
Andy Gardner

How development affects evolution. A mathematical framework that explicitly integrates development into evolution has recently been derived. Here we use this framework to analyse how development affects evolution. We show that, whilst selection pushes genetic and phenotypic evolution uphill on the fitness landscape, development determines the admissible evolutionary pathway, such that evolutionary outcomes occur at path peaks, which need not be peaks of the fitness landscape. Development can generate path peaks, triggering adaptive radiations, even on constant, single-peak landscapes. Phenotypic plasticity, niche construction, extra-genetic inheritance, and developmental bias variously alter the evolutionary path and hence the outcome. Selective development, whereby phenotype construction may point in the adaptive direction, may induce evolution either towards or away landscape peaks depending on the developmental constraints. Additionally, developmental propagation of phenotypic effects over age allows for the evolution of negative senescence. These results help explain empirical observations including punctuated equilibria, the paradox of stasis, the rarity of stabilizing selection, and negative senescence, and show that development has a major role in evolution.


2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hogeweg

This article investigates the evolutionary dynamics of morphogenesis. In this study, morphogenesis arises as a side-effect of maximization of number of cell types. Thus, it investigates the evolutionary dynamics of side-effects. Morphogenesis is governed by the interplay between differential cell adhesion, gene-regulation, and intercellular signaling. Thus, it investigates the potential to generate complex behavior by entanglement of relatively “boring” processes, and the (automatic) coordination between these processes. The evolutionary dynamics shows all the hallmarks of evolutionary dynamics governed by nonlinear genotype phenotype mapping: for example, punctuated equilibria and diffusion on neutral paths. More striking is the result that interesting, complex morphogenesis occurs mainly in the “shadow” of neutral paths which preserve cell differentiation, that is, the interesting morphologies arise as mutants of the fittest individuals. Characteristics of the evolution of such side-effects in the shadow appear to be the following: (1) The specific complex morphologies are unique (or at least very rare) among the set of de novo initiated evolutionary histories. (2) Similar morphologies are reinvented at large temporal distances during one evolutionary history and also when evolution is restarted after the main cell differentiation pattern has been established. (3) A mosaic-like evolution at the morphological level, where different morphological features occur in many combinations, while at the genotypic level recombination is not implemented and genotypes diverge linearly and at a constant rate.


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