ERC Starting Grant · 2020
Unravelling the developmental origins of parallel evolution
The diversity of life may seem endless. Yet, a closer look reveals that evolution often is on repeat. This is most striking when the same suite of characters evolves over and over again. One explanation for such parallel evolution is that development produces some phenotypes readily and frequently, while others are rare or impossible. Evolution must go where development leads. I have identified a rare opportunity to put the role of development in adaptive evolution to the test. At least six species of wall lizards have repeatedly evolved a complex syndrome, including striking coloration, stout bodies, large heads, and aggressive behaviour. All these traits develop from the same cell type,…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.