Modularity in Development and Evolution

Modularity in Development and Evolution offers the first sustained exploration of modules from developmental and evolutionary perspectives. Contributors discuss what modularity is, how it can be identified and modeled, how it originated and evolved, and its biological significance. Covering modules at levels ranging from genes to colonies, the book focuses on their roles not just in structures but also in processes such as gene regulation. Among many exciting findings, the contributors demonstrate how modules can highlight key constraints on evolutionary processes.

A timely synthesis of a crucial topic, Modularity in Development and Evolution shows the invaluable insights modules can give into both developmental complexities and their evolutionary origins.

Gerhard Schlosser is a scientific assistant at the Brain Research Institute, University of Bremen. He is interested in the evolution of development with a main research focus on neural development in vertebrates.

Günter P. Wagner is the Alison Richard Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University and recipient of a MacArthur Award. His interests are the theory of complex adaptations and the development and evolution of morphological characters. He most recently edited the book The Character Concept in Evolutionary Biology.