Abstract
On the basis of findings from developmental biology, some researchers have argued that evolutionary theory needs to be significantly updated. Advocates of such a “developmental update” have, among other things, suggested that we need to re-conceptualize units of selection, that we should expand our view of inheritance to include environmental as well as genetic and epigenetic factors, that we should think of organisms and their environment as involved in reciprocal causation, and that we should reevaluate the rates of evolutionary change. However, many of these same conclusions could be reached on the basis of other evidence, namely from microbiology. In this paper, I ask why microbiological evidence has not had a similarly large influence on calls to update biological theory, and argue that there is no principled reason to focus on developmental as opposed to microbiological evidence in support of these revisions to evolutionary theory. I suggest that the focus on developmental biology is more likely attributable to historical accident. I will also discuss some possible room for overlap between developmental and microbiology, despite the historical separation of these two subdisciplines.
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Notes
See also experiments utilizing mutator strains, e.g. Sniegowski et al. (1997); thanks to Maureen O’Malley for this suggestion.
Others have used a narrower conception of development, one which only focuses on how the shape, size, structure, and anatomy of organisms, especially their morphological features, come to be. This is plausibly the result of a focus on the ontogeny of form in developmental biology. For narrower conceptions along these lines, see, e.g., Robert (2004); Love (2007, 2020).
For some nuances regarding this empirical support, see Watkins (2021b).
Including evolutionary developmental biology (“evo-devo”), which “extensively treats the genomic correlates of gross morphological variation across phyla, with little or no discussion of behavior, physiology, life histories, and the kind of variation within populations that is required for natural selection to work” (p. 89).
Regarding the overlapping research programs of developmental and molecular biology, see Love (2020).
For a discussion of the relationship between developmental biology and expanded views of inheritance, see Jablonka (2007).
There is some interesting new work on integrating developmental biology and paleontology in discussions surrounding rates (e.g., Jablonski 2020; Jackson 2020). For example, developmental biologists may be able to study “evolvability,” which then can affect paleontologists’ prediction of rates. Nevertheless, these issues largely have not been picked up by developmental update proponents as such. For further discussion of the relationship between developmental biology and paleontology, see Watkins (2021a).
Thanks to an anonymous reviewer for pointing out this possible explanation.
Thanks to an anonymous reviewer for suggesting this.
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This paper greatly benefited from feedback by Rachell Powell, Maureen O’Malley, and Alan Love, as well as comments from two anonymous re- viewers and Associate Editor Emily Parke.
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Watkins, A. Development and microbiology. Biol Philos 36, 34 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-021-09809-y
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