14 April 2023
Armin Moczek
Department of Biology
University of Indiana
Regrettably, because of problems with Zoom, the recording of Armin's theory lunch is not available. However, Armin has suggested the references below, which cover the material he discussed.
The origin of novel traits is among the most intriguing and enduring problems in evolutionary biology. It is intriguing because it lies at the heart of what motivates much of evolutionary biology: to understand the origins of exquisite adaptations and the transitions and radiations that they enabled. It is enduring because it embodies a fundamental paradox. On the one hand, Darwin's theory of evolution is based on descent with modification wherein everything new, ultimately, must come from something old. On the other hand, biologists are captivated by complex novel traits precisely because they often lack obvious homology to pre-existing traits. How, then, does novelty arise within the confines of ancestral variation?
In the first part of my talk I will review definitions of novelty, their utility and limitations, and in particular the increasingly challenging relationship between novelty and homology. In the second part I will discuss how ontogenetic perspectives may allow us to move beyond current roadblocks, away from what may or may not qualify as novel, and toward innovation as a process. Specifically, I will explore the significance of plasticity and robustness in development, the causes and consequences of cryptic genetic variation, and the contributions of phenotypic and genetic accommodation in the genesis of novelty. Throughout I emphasize that, in our quest to understand the nature of innovation, the nature of development deserves to take center stage.