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Related Experiment Videos

Developmental push or environmental pull? The causes of macroevolutionary dynamics.

Douglas H Erwin1

  • 1Department of Paleobiology, MRC-121, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA. Erwind@si.edu.

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences
|October 18, 2017
PubMed
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Macroevolutionary patterns are shaped by environmental changes and the emergence of new traits. Understanding whether evolution is pushed by new variations or pulled by opportunities is key to explaining evolutionary novelty.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Paleontology
  • Developmental biology

Background:

  • The Modern Synthesis posits that microevolutionary processes generate macroevolutionary patterns.
  • Paleontological challenges in the 1970s introduced species selection and biotic crises as factors.
  • Current debates focus on the interplay of abiotic and biotic factors in macroevolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the drivers of large-scale evolutionary patterns.
  • To differentiate between distributional and origination explanations for macroevolution.
  • To explore the role of developmental evolution and novel variants in macroevolutionary change.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of fossil record patterns.
  • Application of comparative phylogenetic methods to taxonomic diversity.
Keywords:
DisparityEvo-devoGene regulatory networksInnovationMacroevolutionNovelty

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of gene regulatory networks in developmental evolution.

    • Main Results:

    • Most macroevolutionary studies offer distributional explanations.
    • Comparative developmental evolution studies highlight the origin of variants.
    • Repatterning of gene regulatory networks offers insights into developmental novelties.

    Conclusions:

    • Macroevolutionary patterns may be driven by environmental opportunities or the generation of new morphologies.
    • The contrast between distributional and origination scenarios impacts understanding of evolutionary novelty.
    • Investigating the origin of variation is crucial for a comprehensive view of macroevolution.