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Developmental stability and its applications in ecotoxicology

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Developmental stability refers to the ability of a developing organism to produce a consistent phenotype in a given environment. It provides a simple, reliable method of detecting stressed populations and monitoring their recovery. The most common measure of developmental instability, fluctuating asymmetry, assesses minor deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry in traits that are normally symmetrical. Measures of developmental instability are based upon the concept of developmental invariance. The biotest approach consists of the simultaneous analysis of developmental instability (and related physiological instability) in a variety of species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Berry College, 430 Mount Berry Station, 30149, Mount Berry, GA, USA

    John H. Graham

  2. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Building 204, Naval Station, 98115, Seattle, WA, USA

    John M. Emlen

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, 48202, Detroit, MI, USA

    D. Carl Freeman

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  1. John H. Graham
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  2. John M. Emlen
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  3. D. Carl Freeman
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Graham, J.H., Emlen, J.M. & Freeman, D.C. Developmental stability and its applications in ecotoxicology. Ecotoxicology 2, 175–184 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00116422

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