Development and macroevolution: Introduction to the symposium

Abstract

Despite the historical relationship between embryology and evolutionary biology, during most of the 20th century developmental biology and evolutionary biology have existed as two separate subdisciplines of biology. Recently a Reunion of these subdisciplines began to take place. This Reunion involves the formulation of evolutionary explanations of developmental phenomena and the application of developmental processes as mechanisms of evolutionary change. The symposium speakers have considered both aspects of the Reunion as well as some of the theoretical and methodological issues that are emerging from it. © 1992 by the American Society of Zoologists.