title: Heredity and self-organization: partners in the generation and evolution of phenotypes.
abstract: In this review we examine the role of self-organization in the context of the evolution of morphogenesis. We provide examples to show that self-organized behavior is ubiquitous, and suggest it is a mechanism that can permit high levels of biodiversity without the invention of ever-increasing numbers of genes. We also examine the implications of self-organization for understanding the "internal descriptions" of organisms and the concept of a genotype-phenotype map.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, OH, Canada.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malagon
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, OH, Canada.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D014644:Genetic Variation; D048788:Growth and Development; D040941:Heredity; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D010641:Phenotype
keywords: Evolution; Genes; Mechanical forces; Self-organization; Sex combs; Variation