Russian comparative embryology takes form: a conceptual metamorphosis toward “evo-devo”

Russian comparative embryology takes form: a conceptual metamorphosis toward "evo-devo".

This essay recapitulates major paths followed by the Russian tradition of what we refer to today as evolutionary developmental biology ("evo-devo"). The article addresses several questions regarding the conceptual history of evolutionary embryological thought in its particularly Russian perspective: (1) the assertion by the St. Petersburg academician Wolff regarding the possible connections bet...

Modularity, comparative embryology and evo-devo: developmental dissection of evolving body plans.

Modules can be defined as quasi-autonomous units that are connected loosely with each other within a system. A need for the concept of modularity has emerged as we deal with evolving organisms in evolutionary developmental research, especially because it is unknown how genes are associated with anatomical patterns. One of the strategies to link genotypes with phenotypes could be to relate devel...

The evo-devo comet.

In his inspiring book Ontogeny and Phylogeny (1977), the late Stephen J. Gould explained why develop mental biology and evolution, two essential domains of the life sciences, had diverged during the course of the twentieth century; both disciplines had to reach independently a platform of mutual understanding, a theoretical framework wherein concepts are understood and accepted by both parties....

Whither plant evo-devo?

Evo-devo discovers morphology

constructive points. A critical examination is made of FA’s strength and weaknesses in comparison with other biomarkers, and ways to improve FA as a bio-indicator are suggested. As a whole, Developmental Instability is a mature and balanced compilation of an important subject in biology, which is, after all, about half a century old. Michal Polak has managed to combine excellent contributions o...