Evolvability and Robustness A Paradox in Evolutionary Theory

Abstract

Research in evolutionary biology is driven by curiosity about the evolution of complex organisms. Their origin and maintenance depend on two conflicting properties ‐ evolvability and robustness. Evolvability is the ability to generate new adaptive phenotypes, while robustness is the ability to maintain the same phenotype. This creates a paradox for the evolution of complex organisms. The relationship between evolvability and robustness is determined by the structure of the genotype‐phenotype map (GP‐map), which is a metaphor for a set of theoretical rules that define how genetic variation translates into phenotypic variation. Christine Syrowatka developed two different mathematical models to study the impact of the structure of the GP‐map onto the relationship between evolvability and robustness. These models allow us to explore GP‐maps on different measurement scales. She concluded that the relationship between evolvability and robustness depends on the mechanisms that shape the GP‐map. Finally, she completes her argument by introducing a statistical method to study developmental variation that is central to gain insight into the mechanisms that structure the GP‐map.