Essays on evolvability from the perspectives of quantitative and population genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, systems biology, macroevolution, and the philosophy of science.

Evolvability—the capability of organisms to evolve—wasn’t recognized as a fundamental concept in evolutionary theory until 1990. Though there is still some debate as to whether it represents a truly new concept, the essays in this volume emphasize its value in enabling new research programs and facilitating communication among the major disciplines in evolutionary biology. The contributors, many of whom were instrumental in the development of the concept of evolvability, synthesize what we have learned about it over the past thirty years. They focus on the historical and philosophical contexts that influenced the emergence of the concept and suggest ways to develop a common language and theory to drive further evolvability research. 

The essays, drawn from a workshop on evolvability hosted in 2019–2020 by the Center of Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, in Oslo, provide scientific and historical background on evolvability. The contributors represent different disciplines of evolutionary biology, including quantitative and population genetics, evolutionary developmental biology, systems biology and macroevolution, as well as the philosophy of science. This pl[urality of approaches allows researchers in disciplines as diverse as developmental biology, molecular biology, and systems biology to communicate with those working in mainstream evolutionary biology. The contributors also discuss key questions at the forefront of research on evolvability.

Thomas Hansen is Professor of Biology at the University of Oslo. 

David Houle is Professor of Biology at Florida State University. 

Mihaela Pavlicev is Professor of Theoretical Evolutionary Biology at the University of Vienna. 

Christophe Pélabon is Professor of Biology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Series Foreword ix
Gerd B. Muller, Thomas Pradeu, and Katrin Schafer
1 Introduction: Evolvability 1
Thomas F. Hansen, Christophe Pelabon, David Houle, and Mihaela Pavlicev
2 A History of Evolvability: Reconstructing and Explaining the Origination of Research Agenda
Laura Nuno de la Rosa 11
3 Conceputal Roles of Evolvability across Evolutionary Biology: Between Diversity and Unification 35
Cristina Villegas, Alan C. Love, Laura Nuno de la Rosa, Ingo Brigandt, and Gunter P. Wagner
4 Evolvability as a Disposition: Philosophical Distinctions, Scientific Implications 55
Ingo Brigandt, Cristina Villegas, Alan C. Love, and Laura Nuno de la Rosa
5 Variation, Inheritance, and Evolution: A Primer on Evolutionary Quantitative Genetics 73
Thomas F. Hansen
6 Measuring Evolvability 101
David Houle and Chrisophe Pelabon
7 The Evolution of Evolvability 121
Thomas F. Hansen and Gunter P. Wagner
8 The Genotype-Phenotype Map Structure and Its Role in Evolvability 147
Mihaela Pavlicev, Salome Bourg, and Arnaud Le Rouzic
9 The Developmental Basis for Evolvability 171
Benedikt Hallgrimsson, J. David Aponte, Marta Vidal-Garcia, Heather Richbourg, Rebecca Green, Nathan M. Young, James M. Cheverud, Anne L. Calof, Arthur D. Lander, and Ralph S. Marcucio
10 Models of Contingent Evolvability Suggest Dynamical Instabilities in Body Shape Evolution 199
Gunter P. Wagner
11 Mutational Robustness and Evolvability 221
Andreas Wagner
12 Evolvability, Sexual Selection, and Mating Strategies 239
Jacqueline L. Sztepanacz, Josselin Clo, and Oystein H. Opedal 
13 Can We Explain Variation in Evolvability on Ecological Timescales? 267
Christophe Pelabon, Michael B. Morrissey, Jane M. Reid, and Jacqueline L. Sztepanacz
14 Does Lack of Evolvability Constrain Adaptation? If So, on What Timescales? 289
Kjetil L. Voje, Mark Grabowski, Agnes Holstad, Arthur Porto, Masahito Tsuboi, and Geir H. Bolstad 
15 Evolvability of Flowers: Macroevolutionary Indicators of Adaptive Paths of Least Resistance 307
W. Scott Armbruster
16 Evolvability of Body Plans: On Phylotpic Stages, Developmental Modularity, and an Ancient Metazoan Constraints 329
Frietson Galis
17 Evolvability and Macroevolution 351
David Jablonski
18 Conclusion: Is Evolvability a New and Unifying Concept? 373
David Houle, Christophe Pelabon, Mihaela Pavlicev, and Thomas F. Hansen
Contributors 389
Index 391