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Evolutionary Developmental Biology pp 1–12Cite as

Evo-Devo and Phylogenetics

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Abstract

The contribution of evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) to phylogenetics has two aspects. The first is methodological: how to partition the phenotype into independent characters, in the light of the evolvability and modularity of developing systems. Evolvability, the ability to produce heritable phenotypic variation, has taken central role in explanations of evolutionary change, together with an increasing appreciation of the complex relationships between genotype and phenotype, which are characterised by (1) pleiotropy, (2) the involvement of a large number of genes in controlling single phenotypic traits, (3) the presence of polyphenism due to the influence of external, nongenetic factors, and (4) the modular architecture of developing systems. This allows for the occasional manifestation of saltational evolution. The second contribution of evo-devo to phylogenetics relates to specific sources of information that can be used in phylogenetic analysis, as provided by differences in the spatial and temporal patterns of expression of developmental genes or whole gene regulatory networks and by heterochronic patterns, especially in the framework of sequence heterochrony where changes in the temporal sequence of individual developmental events are considered relative to other events in the ontogeny of the same organism. In turn, a sound understanding of phylogenetics can benefit evo-devo in the selection of new model species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Alessandro Minelli

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  1. Alessandro Minelli
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Correspondence to Alessandro Minelli .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The KLI Institute, Klosterneuburg, Austria

    Laura Nuno de la Rosa

  2. The KLI Institute, Klosterneuburg, Austria

    Gerd Müller

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Minelli, A. (2016). Evo-Devo and Phylogenetics. In: Nuno de la Rosa, L., Müller, G. (eds) Evolutionary Developmental Biology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33038-9_40-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33038-9_40-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-33038-9

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