Evolution and Development

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Describe how signalling molecules contribute to the development of the body plan.
• Describe the relationship between evolution and development.
• Explain the role of gene co-option in evolution eg. Hox in anterior-posterior patterning (ancestral) and its co-option to patterning the tetrapod limb.
• Describe the developmental patterns and function of toolkit genes Hox and Pax6 in model organisms.
• Explain how the fossil record allows soft minimum/maximum dates to be applied to species divergence and the appearance of morphological characters
• Describe how gene regulation plays a key role in evolution.
• Outline the approaches used to detect phylogenetic relationships using the range of techniques and tools available.

1.Introduction, Darwin to development

2.What is Evo-Devo?

3.Development, cells and molecules

4.Natural populations

5.Mutation and developmental repatterning

6.Heterochrony

7.Heterotopy

8.Heterometry

9.Heterotypy

10.The integrative nature of repatterning

11.Mapping repatterning to trees

12.adaptation, coadaptation and exaptation

13.Developmental bias and constraint

14.Developmental genes and evolution

15.Gene co-option as an evolutionary mechanism

16.Developmental plasticity and evolution

17.The origin of species, novelties and body plans

18.The evolution of complexity

19. Key concepts and connections

20.The future

The module is delivered principally via lectures taking their titles from Evolution a developmental approach, by Wallace Arthur (2011), supported by informal discussions with lecturers and independent study of recommended reading material. Lectures will take the title of chapter in the book, which should be read before the lecture (element of flip learning). The lecture will then elaborate on the topic of that chapter, or examine exciting developments in the field around the topic.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.