Skip to main content
Biology LibreTexts

1: Introduction to Evolutionary Developmental Biology (EvoDevo)

  • Page ID
    14427
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    • 1.1: What is EvoDevo?
      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?
    • 1.2: EvoDevo Case Study
      One great example of the interconnectedness of evolution and development is the problem of scaling in flies. Briefly, there are closely related fly genera that vary widely in size but have very similar proportions. An outstanding question in evodevo is: how do flies change their scale by tweaking or changing developmental processes?
    • 1.3: Briefly, Genetics
      For the most part when we think about Molecular Genetics we are thinking about making functional proteins from a gene encoded in DNA, though some RNA is functional on its own. This happens via two highly-regulated processes: Transcription uses RNA polymerase to make a single stranded mRNA molecule from one strand of a double stranded DNA molecule. Translation uses the ribosome to make a peptide (part or all of a protein) from the mRNA .
    • 1.E: Introduction to Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Exercises)
      Discussion questions and assignments for Chapter 1

    Thumbnail: Adult Drosophila melanogaster fruitfly. (CC SA-By 2.5 Generic; André Karwath aka Aka).


    This page titled 1: Introduction to Evolutionary Developmental Biology (EvoDevo) is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Ajna Rivera.

    • Was this article helpful?