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Evolution of evolvability in a developmental model.

Jeremy Draghi1, Günter P Wagner

  • 1Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. jeremy.draghi@yale.edu

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|November 23, 2007
PubMed
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Evolvability, the capacity for populations to adapt, can be enhanced through genetic variation and developmental processes. Selection in changing environments favors variability patterns that maximize this adaptive potential.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Developmental biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Evolvability, the ability of populations to adapt over time, is crucial for evolutionary success.
  • Adaptation relies on genetic variation and developmental processes, which can themselves evolve.
  • Understanding how evolvability evolves is key to explaining long-term evolutionary trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolution of evolvability using a simple developmental model.
  • To determine if selection can favor specific patterns of genetic variability that enhance evolvability.
  • To explore the dynamics of genotype fixation and invasion based on evolvability.

Main Methods:

  • Construction and evolution of a computational developmental model.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Simulation of gene pleiotropy evolution within the model.
  • Analysis of selection pressures in changing environments.
  • Examination of genotype fixation and invasion dynamics.

    • Main Results:

    • Selection in fluctuating environments favors specific variability patterns that maximize evolvability.
    • Mutant genotypes with higher evolvability are more likely to become fixed in populations.
    • Populations composed of highly evolvable genotypes resist invasion by less evolvable mutants.
    • The evolution of evolvability is robust to the presence or absence of genetic recombination.

    Conclusions:

    • Evolvability can evolve, driven by selection for specific variability patterns.
    • The dynamics of genotype fixation and invasion are primary drivers of evolvability.
    • Environmental change can select for modular patterns of variability, further enhancing evolvability.