Authors
John Maynard Smith, Richard Burian, Stuart Kauffman, Pere Alberch, John Campbell, Brian Goodwin, Russell Lande, David Raup, Lewis Wolpert
Publication date
1985/9
Source
Quarterly Review of Biology
Volume
60
Issue
3
Pages
265-287
Description
Developmental constraints (defined as biases on the production of variant phenotypes or limitations on phenotypic variability caused by the structure, character, composition, or dynamics of the developmental system) undoubtedly play a significant role in evolution. Yet there is little agree-ment on their importance as compared with selection, drifl, and other such factors in shaping evolutionary history. This review distinguishes between “universal” and “local” constraints,'it deals primarily with the latter, which apply to a limited range of taxa. Such constraints, typically, can be broken even within the taxa to which they apply, though with varying degrees of dzfliculty. The origin of constraints is discussed, five distinctive sources of constraint being explicitly con-sidered. Three means of identifying constraints are set forth, as well as four means of distinguishing developmental from selective constraints. None of the latter (use …
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J Maynard Smith, R Burian, S Kauffman, P Alberch… - Quarterly Review of Biology, 1985