Evolutionary Developmental Biological Sciences

Evolutionary developmental biology, now often known as “evo-devo,” is the study of the relation between evolution and development to determine the ancestral relationship between them, and to discover how developmental processes evolved. It addresses the origin and evolution of embryonic development; how modifications of development and developmental processes lead to the production of novel features, such as the evolution of feathers, the role of developmental plasticity in evolution; how ecology impacts development and evolutionary change; and the developmental basis of homoplasy and homology.