Where is, in 2017, the evo in evo-devo (evolutionary developmental biology)?

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo)
• Quantitative Analysis of Scientific Trends

Background:

• Previous analysis of the 2015 Pan-American-Evo-Devo meeting highlighted concerns in the field.
• This study revisits these concerns by analyzing the 2017 meeting to identify trends and shifts in research focus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively assess changes in Evolutionary Developmental Biology research focus between the 2015 and 2017 Pan-American-Evo-Devo meetings.
• To determine if previously raised concerns about the field have been addressed.
• To identify emerging trends within Evo-Devo.

Main Methods:

• Comparative quantitative analysis of presentation titles and abstracts from the 2015 and 2017 Pan-American-Evo-Devo meetings.
• Tracking the frequency of specific keywords related to organismal biology, evolution, genetics, and tissue types.

Main Results:

• The 2017 meeting showed an increased focus on "organismal" aspects like morphology, phylogeny, and adaptation.
• However, there was a decrease in the use of "evolution" and macroevolutionary terms.
• Genetic and genomic ("Geno") studies remain dominant, with a narrow focus on hard tissues in animal studies.
• An integrative approach is lacking, with limited research connecting Evo-Devo to ecology, behavior, and evolutionary medicine.

Conclusions:

• Evo-Devo is becoming more organismal but remains heavily concentrated on molecular genetics.
• There is a need for a broader, integrative approach to address complex questions linking development, evolution, ecology, and medicine.
• The field risks overlooking crucial aspects of organismal biology by focusing predominantly on genetic mechanisms and hard tissues.