Diachronic Biology Meets Evo-Devo: C. H. Waddington's Approach to Evolutionary Developmental Biology

Conrad Hal Waddington (1905–1975) did not respect thetraditional boundaries established between genetics, embryology,and evolutionary biology. Rather, he viewed them together asa "diachronic biology." In this diachronic biology, evolutionarychange was caused by heritable alterations in development. Stabilizingselection within the embryo was followed by normative selectionon the adult. To explain evolution, Waddington had to inventmany concepts and terms, some of which have retained their usageand some of which have not. In this paper I seek to explicateWaddington's ideas and evaluate their usefulness for contemporaryevolutionary developmental biology.     

Restoration Biology: A Population Biology Perspective

A major goal of population biologists involved in restoration work is to restore populations to a level that will allow them to persist over the long term within a dynamic landscape and include the ability to undergo adaptive evolutionary change. We discuss five research areas of particular importance to restoration biology that offer potentially unique opportunities to couple basic research with the practical needs of restorationists. The five research areas are: (1) the influence of numbers of individuals and genetic variation in the initial population on population colonization, establishment, growth, and evolutionary potential; (2) the role of local adaptation and life history traits in the success of restored populations; (3) the influence of the spatial arrangement of landscape elements on metapopulation dynamics and population processes such as migration; (4) the effects of genetic drift, gene flow, and selection on population persistence within an often accelerated, successional time frame; and (5) the influence of interspecific interactions on population dynamics and community development. We also provide a sample of practical problems faced by practitioners, each of which encompasses one or more of the research areas discussed, and that may be solved by addressing fundamental research questions.     

Biology and the B.Ed. Degree

The dispersion of animals is one aspect of ecology that lends itself to laboratory simulation. Photographs of the Tenebrionid beetle Catamerus rugosus were taken at different stages in its life cycle. Students were asked to relate these to real life and carry out a statistical analysis to determine the degree of dispersion of the animals. The photographs are shown and the results demonstrate a change in dispersion throughout the life cycle.     

History of American Marine Biology and Marine Biology Institutions Introduction: Origins of American Marine Biology

SYNOPSIS.In the 1840s and 1850s professional naturalists dredgedshallow sea-water on the eastern coast of the United Statesto obtain marine specimens for teaching and research. In 1871Spencer F. Baird, first U.S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries,organized amarine biological laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts,for basic biological research as well as for practical fisherybiology. In 1873 Louis Agassiz established his summer marinestation for teachers on Penikese Island, which stimulated others,especially some of his former students, to do likewise alongthe eastern coast in subsequent years, culminating in the renownedMarine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole (1888). On the Pacificcoast the pioneer marine laboratories were the Hopkins MarineLaboratory (1892) and the prestigious Scripps Institute of Oceanographyin California (1903), and the Puget Sound Biological Station,later known as the Friday Harbor Laboratories, in Washington(1903). Today, over 50 marine laboratories are in operationin the 21 contiguous coastal states for education and researchin marine biology