Evo-Devo offers a significant challenge to the neo-Darwinian paradigm - review

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In his paper, Manfred D. Laubichler argues that evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) offers a significant challenge to the neo-Darwinian paradigm. He describes this challenge as a "counter-revolution" in the sense that evo-devo returns to a more inclusive conception of phenotypic evolution, one that is more closely aligned with the views of Darwin and the first few generations of evolutionists.

Laubichler argues that the neo-Darwinian paradigm has become too narrowly focused on the role of genes and populations in evolution. In contrast, evo-devo takes a more organism-centered approach, emphasizing the role of developmental processes in generating phenotypic variation and the potential for evolution to be driven by changes in these processes.

One of the key ways in which evo-devo challenges the neo-Darwinian paradigm is by its emphasis on the role of developmental constraints in evolution. Developmental constraints are the limitations on phenotypic variation that are imposed by the way in which organisms develop. For example, the fact that all vertebrates have four limbs is a developmental constraint.

Neo-Darwinian theory has traditionally viewed developmental constraints as obstacles to evolution. However, evo-devo has shown that developmental constraints can also play a creative role in evolution. For example, the fact that all vertebrates have four limbs has allowed for the evolution of a wide range of different limb forms, such as wings, fins, and legs.

Another way in which evo-devo challenges the neo-Darwinian paradigm is by its emphasis on the role of epigenetics in evolution. Epigenetic inheritance is a type of inheritance that does not involve changes in the DNA sequence. Instead, epigenetic inheritance is based on changes in the way in which DNA is packaged and expressed.

Evo-devo has shown that epigenetic changes can have a significant impact on phenotypic variation and that these changes can be inherited from one generation to the next. This suggests that epigenetic inheritance can play a role in evolution, even though it does not involve changes in the DNA sequence.

Overall, Laubichler argues that evo-devo offers a significant challenge to the neo-Darwinian paradigm by providing a more inclusive and organism-centered account of phenotypic evolution. Evo-devo emphasizes the role of developmental processes, developmental constraints, and epigenetics in evolution, all of which are underplayed in the traditional neo-Darwinian framework.

It is important to note that Laubichler is not arguing that evo-devo should replace the neo-Darwinian paradigm. That might hurt his research funding. Truth. Instead, he argues that evo-devo should be seen as a complement to the neo-Darwinian paradigm, providing a more complete and nuanced understanding of how evolution works.

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