title: Evolvability as the proper focus of evolutionary developmental biology.
abstract: Research conducted under the label of evolutionary developmental biology has tended to revolve around a few central issues such as modularity, integration, and canalization. Yet, as the field has grown, it has become increasingly difficult to define in terms of its central question and relation to broader evolutionary concerns. We argue that these central issues of evo-devo gain their currency from connections to a central question that defines the field, and we propose that this central question is about the nature of evolvability. However, not all research currently carried out under the label of "evo-devo" speaks to this focal concern. The aim of this article is therefore to argue for a precise formulation of evolutionary developmental biology's core question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, University of Calgary 2500 University Dr. NW Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4.
authors.forename: Jesse Love
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hendrikse
authors.forename: Trish Elizabeth
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Benedikt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hallgrímsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans