UCL RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS, EVOLUTION AND ENVIRONMENT

Prof Scott Armbruster, University of Portsmouth:  homepage

Abstract Phenotypic integration and modularity are two concepts that relate variation and covariation of traits to genetic and developmental processes and natural selection. While phenotypic integration concerns the degree to which traits covary, modularity is the degree to which traits vary independently. On one hand, integration can be thought of as a genetic or developmental constraint, but on the other, it may be adaptive. Modularity is largely thought to be adaptive, but may also reflect constraint. A useful conceptual framework for understanding the adaptive significance of integration and modularity is adaptive accuracy, which considers the phenotypic deviation of each individual in a population from the optimal phenotype. This approach to understanding integration and modularity is well illustrated by examining the variation and covariation of floral structures in relation to natural selection generated by interactions with pollinators.

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