Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The scale independence of evolution.

A M Leroi1

  • 1Department of Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berks, UK. a.leroi@ic.ac.uk

Evolution & Development
|March 22, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

[Anorectal disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis: Physiopathology, prevalence, impact, and management].

Progres en urologie : journal de l'Association francaise d'urologie et de la Societe francaise d'urologie·2019
Same author

The diagnostic value of the functional lumen imaging probe versus high-resolution anorectal manometry in patients with fecal incontinence.

Neurogastroenterology and motility·2018
Same author

Acute sacral nerve stimulation reduces visceral mechanosensitivity in a cross-organ sensitization model.

Neurogastroenterology and motility·2016
Same author

[French translation of "An International Urogynecological Association (IUGA)/International Continence Society (ICS) joint report on the terminology for female pelvic floor dysfunction" published in Int Urogynecol J 2010;21(1):5-26].

Progres en urologie : journal de l'Association francaise d'urologie et de la Societe francaise d'urologie·2016
Same author

Do endoflip assessments of anal sphincter distensibility provide more information on patients with fecal incontinence than high-resolution anal manometry?

Neurogastroenterology and motility·2015
Same author

Impact of deep brain stimulation on pharyngo-esophageal motility: a randomized cross-over study.

Neurogastroenterology and motility·2015
Same journal

Developmental Modularity and Pre-Eclosion Sclerotization of the Pronotum Facilitate Eclosion in the Ladybird Beetle, Harmonia axyridis.

Evolution & development·2026
Same journal

Non-Invaginated Wing Primordia in Holometabolous Insects: First Report From Mecoptera.

Evolution & development·2026
Same journal

An Amelogenin Herbivore Motif, a Compacted Enamel Protein Matrix and Prismatic Enamel in Uromastyx Demonstrate Convergent Evolution in an Agamid Masticatory Apparatus.

Evolution & development·2026
Same journal

Exploring the Developmental Origins of Limb Proportion Diversity in Birds: An Analysis of Ontogenetic Timing.

Evolution & development·2026
Same journal

Correction to "The Development of De Villiers' Moss Frog (Arthroleptella villiersi, Pyxicephalidae) Reveals Heterochronic Patterns Underlying the Evolution of Endotrophic Development in Anura".

Evolution & development·2026
Same journal

Complex Wnt-Based Patterning of the Body Plan in the Colonial Hydrozoan Dynamena pumila (Linnaeus, 1758).

Evolution & development·2026
See all related articles

Evolutionary patterns at all scales, from microbes to fossils, are driven by the same fundamental forces. This suggests that microevolution and macroevolution share common causes, simplifying our understanding of developmental evolution.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Paleontology

Background:

  • Microevolutionary and macroevolutionary patterns are often studied separately.
  • The ultimate causes driving morphological and developmental evolution remain a subject of debate.
  • Recent hypotheses propose clade-level selection for evolvability in metazoan development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To argue that the ultimate causes of morphological and developmental evolution are scale-independent.
  • To demonstrate fundamental similarities between micro- and macroevolutionary patterns.
  • To propose conventional evolutionary forces as the primary drivers of observed patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Examination of single lineage evolution, including bacterial evolution experiments and fossil lineages.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of adaptive radiations of varying sizes.
  • Critique of clade-level selection hypotheses and proposal of individual-level selection.

    • Main Results:

    • Adaptive evolution dynamics are consistent across different systems (e.g., bacteria, fossils).
    • Adaptive radiations, regardless of scale, can be explained by mutation and natural selection.
    • Molecular features of metazoan development are more parsimoniously explained by individual-level selection against pleiotropic effects.

    Conclusions:

    • The ultimate causes of morphological and developmental evolution are scale-independent.
    • Conventional evolutionary forces, such as mutation and natural selection, provide a unified explanation for evolutionary patterns across scales.
    • Further research is needed to fully understand the ultimate causes of molecular and developmental diversity.