AOBPreview originally published online on May 11, 2007
Annals of Botany 2007 100(3):433-438; doi:10.1093/aob/mcm069
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INVITED REVIEW |
Finding the Way in Phenotypic Space: The Origin and Maintenance of Constraints on Organismal Form
Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, 650 Life Sciences Building, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
* For correspondence. E-mail pigliucci{at}genotypebyenvironment.org
Received: 4 January 2007 Returned for revision: 17 January 2007 Accepted: 14 February 2007 Published electronically: 11 May 2007
Background: One of the all-time questions in evolutionary biology regards the evolution of organismal shapes, and in particular why certain forms appear repeatedly in the history of life, others only seldom and still others not at all. Recent research in this field has deployed the conceptual framework of constraints and natural selection as measured by quantitative genetic methods.
Scope: In this paper I argue that quantitative genetics can by necessity only provide us with useful statistical summaries that may lead researchers to formulate testable causal hypotheses, but that any inferential attempt beyond this is unreasonable. Instead, I suggest that thinking in terms of coordinates in phenotypic spaces, and approaching the problem using a variety of empirical methods (seeking a consilience of evidence), is more likely to lead to solid inferences regarding the causal basis of the historical patterns that make up most of the data available on phenotypic evolution.
Key words: Quantitative genetics, phenotypic space, inference, natural selection, constraints