Evolvability is a concept that relates to the ability of a particular genotype to evolve new adaptive changes. For instance, the class of mutator genotypes is sometimes selectively favoured relative to more conservative genotypes because its members can produce new mutations more quickly, and hence evolve faster. However, as organisms continue to adapt to stable environments, it is believed that mutator genotypes are selected against as they produce an increasing fraction of maladaptive progeny. Hence, evolvability is a critical topic in the evolution of pathogens.

In eukaryotes, it is thought that the positioning of recombination hotspots (in eukaryotes typically just before the start and just after the end of genes) and introns (in those genes that do not undergo alternative splicing) in the genome maximise evolvability.

Typically, genetic changes of the genotype to phenotype mapping or genetic architecture will also affect evolvability.

References

• Wagner, Andreas. 2005. Robustness and Evolvability in Living Systems (Princeton Studies in Complexity). Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691122407

See also

• Modularity (biology)

Evolutionary biology