PREADAPTATION AND MULTIPLE EVOLUTIONARY PATHWAYS

The Evolutionary Concept of “Preadaptation” Applied to Cognitive Neurosciences

Evolutionary Accessibility of Mutational Pathways

Functional effects of different mutations are known to combine to the total effect in highly nontrivial ways. For the trait under evolutionary selection ('fitness'), measured values over all possible combinations of a set of mutations yield a fitness landscape that determines which mutational states can be reached from a given initial genotype. Understanding the accessibility properties of fitn...

Comparative and Evolutionary Analysis of Cellular Pathways

Comparative and Evolutionary Analysis of Cellular Pathways

Evolutionary Response of Predators to Dangerous Prey: Preadaptation and the Evolution of Tetrodotoxin Resistance in Garter Snakes.

Coevolutionary interactions typically involve only a few specialized taxa. The factors that cause some taxa and not others to respond evolutionarily to selection by another species are poorly understood. Preadaptation may render some species predisposed for evolutionary response to new pressures, whereas a lack of genetic variation may limit the evolutionary potential of other taxa. We evaluate...

Wnt signaling: multiple pathways, multiple receptors, and multiple transcription factors.

Signaling pathways are an ever present force in every animal’s life. During development, these pathways provide critical cell-cell communication required to coordinate the activities of vast numbers of cells. In adulthood, similar communication mechanisms are utilized to achieve tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Regulation of signaling is crucial; toomuch or too little activity from a given ...