Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions
Published on: February 16, 2017
Unifying and generalizing the two strands of evo-devo
Kevin J Parsons1, R Craig Albertson
1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK.
Abstract:
The emergence of evo-devo has had profound effects on how we study evolution. However, evo-devo research has tended to involve two general approaches, one being mechanistic and typological with a focus on simple, bimodal phenotypes, and the other being quantitative and focusing on multidimensional phenotypes without an understanding of underlying genetic mechanisms. Here, we suggest that, given recent technological advances in genomics, molecular biology, and morphometrics, evo-devo is poised for a reconciliation through which the field will realize far greater explanatory potential with respect to the patterns and processes that underlie adaptive phenotypic divergence. With this in mind, we review the recent literature and put forward a generalized evo-devo approach that is suitable for studies of quantitative traits in a range of taxa.
Related Concept Videos
Eukaryotic Evolution
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Convergent Evolution
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes
Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation
Cleavage and Blastulation
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...

