Evolution Evolving: The Developmental Origins of Adaptation and Biodiversity

A new account of the central role developmental processes play in evolutionA new scientific view of evolution is emerging-one that challenges and expands our understanding of how evolution works.Recent research demonstrates that organisms differ greatly in how effective they are at evolving.Whether and how each organism adapts and diversifies depends critically on the mechanistic details of how that organism operates-its development, physiology, and behavior.That is because the evolutionary process itself has evolved over time, and continues to evolve.The scientific understanding of evolution is evolving too, with groundbreaking new ways of explaining evolutionary change.In this book, a group of leading biologists draw on the latest findings in evolutionary genetics and evo-devo, as well as novel insights from studies of epigenetics, symbiosis, and inheritance, to examine the central role that developmental processes play in evolution. Written in an accessible style, and illustrated wi