<一般論文> エボデボの一部としてのエコエボデボ

Abstract

Since the late 20th century, studies on evolution and on development have interacted with each other and have made a significant success in biological research. This interaction between evolution and development has often been called evolutionary developmental biology, for short, "evo-devo". Moreover, some biologists suggest a newer framework called ecological evolutionary developmental biology, for short, "eco-evo-devo", which attempts to reveal mechanisms by which environmental factors help to construct variation, and is said to be the sign of "a new and more inclusive evolutionary theory". This article examines the relationship between eco-evo-devo and evo-devo. Although evo-devo has concentrated on developmental genetic approaches in its middle stage, it was originally more diverse in terms of its approaches in its early development and contained many concepts and approaches, including ecological and environmental ones emphasized in eco-evo-devo. Thus it is more reasonable to regard eco-evo-devo as a part of evo-devo in which the emphasis is shifting from studies in laboratories to studies taking environmental factors into account.