Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Rivera)
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
The fields of Development and Evolution cannot be truly separated. When we study Developmental Biology we are mostly looking at a fine-tuned mechanical and genetic process that has been selected on for eons. Not only can evolution select on the final product - a working, fertile adult - but also can act at each developmental stage. It is easy to see how evolution acts through natural selection on adults, but how can it act on development itself?
Front Matter
1: Introduction to Evolutionary Developmental Biology (EvoDevo)
2: Fertilization and Cortical Rotation
3: Cleavage and Gastrulation
4: Genetic Toolkit
5: Regionalization and Organizers
6: Genetic Basis of Complexity
7: Patterning
8: Novelty
9: Evolvability and Plasticity
10: Case Studies
Mini-Labs
Back Matter
Thumbnail: "Views of a Fetus in the Womb", Leonardo da Vinci, ca. 1510-1512. The subject of prenatal development is a major subset of developmental biology.