Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Coevolution of functionally constrained characters: prerequisites for adaptive versatility.

G P Wagner

    Bio Systems
    |January 1, 1984
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    THE ORIGIN OF MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF HOMOLOGY.

    Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2017
    Same author

    The evolutionary dynamics of evolvability in a gene network model.

    Journal of evolutionary biology·2009
    Same author

    The topology of the possible: formal spaces underlying patterns of evolutionary change.

    Journal of theoretical biology·2002
    Same author

    What is the promise of developmental evolution? Part II: A causal explanation of evolutionary innovations may be impossible.

    The Journal of experimental zoology·2001
    Same author

    The tetrapod limb: a hypothesis on its origin.

    The Journal of experimental zoology·2001
    Same author

    The test distribution of modularity statistics: a correction and clarification.

    Genetics·2001
    Same journal

    The Quantum-to-Classical Transducer: A Thermodynamic and Quantum Mechanical Framework for the Emergence of Bioenergetics.

    Bio Systems·2026
    Same journal

    Forward-backward gene expression binarization for boolean state inference over a known regulatory network.

    Bio Systems·2026
    Same journal

    Partial-Label Metric Ceilings for Evaluating Gene Regulatory Networks Inferred from Single-Cell Foundation Models.

    Bio Systems·2026
    Same journal

    The impedance mismatch theory: A non-equilibrium thermodynamic framework for a shared energetic stress pathway in neurodegeneration.

    Bio Systems·2026
    Same journal

    Immune signal-status misclassification: A theoretical framework for biological status assignment and failed status resolution.

    Bio Systems·2026
    Same journal

    Contextuality, incompatibility, and intra-system entanglement of mental markers: From cognition and decision making to medicine.

    Bio Systems·2026
    See all related articles

    Complex organism evolution is explained by genetic variation and functional constraints. Optimal genetic variation aids adaptation, while too much can hinder it, especially with many independent characters.

    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Quantitative genetics

    Background:

    • Organismic evolution theory faces challenges explaining complex organism development via random mutations under functional constraints.
    • Understanding the interplay between genetic variation and functional coupling is crucial for evolutionary models.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate how the extent of genetic variation impacts the adaptation speed of functionally linked, yet genetically independent, traits.
    • To determine the influence of functional constraints on the degree of adaptive genetic variability.

    Main Methods:

    • A quantitative genetic model was employed to analyze the relationship between genetic variation and adaptation rates.
    • The study examined functionally coupled characters that are genetically uncorrelated.

    Related Experiment Videos

    Main Results:

    • Optimal levels of genetic variation were identified for functionally constrained systems with more than three independent characters; higher variation decreased adaptation rates.
    • Functional constraints did not limit adaptive genetic variability when three or fewer independent characters were involved.

    Conclusions:

    • Genetic correlation between functionally coupled traits is unnecessary if fewer than four characters are integrated into a functional system.
    • This finding explains the lack of genetic coupling between signal sender and receiver mechanisms in orthopterians, despite their functional linkage.