Mechanical mechanisms of morphogenesis as potential substrates for evolutionary change

The first quarter of this century has seen a resurgence of interest in the mechanical and physical mechanisms that drive cellular behaviors in the context of morphogenesis. Far from being a new discovery, the fact that the material properties of cells and the physical forces that they exert and experience must play decisive roles in development, was an important part of the field of experimental embryology well over a century ago. Following the birth of molecular biology, and the development of live imaging approaches that can capture the dynamics of both cellular properties and materials, and the activity of genes and gene products, the current manifestation of this field promises to link mechanical and molecular genetic mechanisms. Here we review recent advances in understanding the relationships between mechanical and molecular genetic mechanisms, and suggest paths forward that could yield answers to the pressing questions of whether and how evolutionary forces act not only on functional morphologies, but also on the mechanical forces that create them.