A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts
Amherst is proposing a new investigative roadmap for the field of evolutionary
developmental biology, or “evo devo,” to better understand how innovation at
the genetic level can lead to ecological adaptations over time. Evo devo seeks
to understand the specific genetic mechanisms underlying evolutionary change.
Seven UMass Amherst authors, all biologists but with diverse
research programs including evolutionary genetics, developmental biology,
biomechanics and behavioral ecology, describe the new framework they created to
link genes to ecology in the May issue of Trends in Ecology and Evolution. They
propose a set of hypotheses that can form the basis for further studies. “We
advocate strengthened collaborations,” they point out, among evo devo
disciplines “to consider all links from genes to resource use.”