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Theoretical biology

Safeguards and spurs

Nature volume 424, pages 501–503 (2003)Cite this article

Biological traits are buffered against genetic and environmental upset by a process called canalization. New work suggests this may be a general feature of regulatory gene networks, selected to survive gene loss.

One of the biggest challenges facing twenty-first-century biologists is understanding how genes are connected to the traits seen in whole organisms. At a basic level, we know that the overall appearance and behaviour of an organism are determined by the interaction between its genes and the environment. Yet this interaction is incredibly complicated. For instance, some kind of developmental buffering seems to ensure that similar traits are produced despite genetic changes (mutations) and environmental perturbation. A better understanding of this buffering effect, known as canalization, could change how we think about evolution and development.

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  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, 06520-8106, Connecticut, USA

    Stephen C. Stearns

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  1. Stephen C. Stearns
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Stearns, S. Safeguards and spurs. Nature 424, 501–503 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/424501a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/424501a

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