Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devo
By definition, biology is the science of all living beings. However, horizons restricted to either plants or animals have characterized the development of life sciences well beyond the emergence of unified perspectives applying to all forms of life, such as the cell theory or the theory of evolution...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.1057355/full |
| _version_ | 1828097866851155968 |
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| author | Alessandro Minelli |
| author_facet | Alessandro Minelli |
| author_sort | Alessandro Minelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | By definition, biology is the science of all living beings. However, horizons restricted to either plants or animals have characterized the development of life sciences well beyond the emergence of unified perspectives applying to all forms of life, such as the cell theory or the theory of evolution. Separation between botanical and zoological traditions is not destined to go extinct easily, or shortly. Disciplinary isolation is emphasized by institutional contexts such as scientific societies and their congresses, specialist journals, disciplines recognized as teaching subjects and legitimate and fundable research fields. By shaping the personal agendas of individual scientists, this has a strong impact on the development of biology. In some fields, botanical and zoological contributions have long being effectively intertwined, but in many others plant and animal biology have failed to progress beyond a marginal dialogue. Characteristically, the so-called “general biology” and the philosophy of biology are still zoocentric (and often vertebrato- or even anthropocentric). In this article, I discuss legitimacy and fruitfulness of some old lexical and conceptual exchanges between the two traditions (cell, tissue, and embryo). Finally, moving to recent developments, I compare the contributions of plant vs. animal biology to the establishment of evolutionary developmental biology. We cannot expect that stronger integration between the different strands of life sciences will soon emerge by self-organization, but highlighting this persisting imbalance between plant and animal biology will arguably foster progress. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:53:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4f18c7fb75dc40c1b15ae354b1f5bd09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:53:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-4f18c7fb75dc40c1b15ae354b1f5bd092022-12-22T04:36:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-12-011010.3389/fevo.2022.10573551057355Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devoAlessandro MinelliBy definition, biology is the science of all living beings. However, horizons restricted to either plants or animals have characterized the development of life sciences well beyond the emergence of unified perspectives applying to all forms of life, such as the cell theory or the theory of evolution. Separation between botanical and zoological traditions is not destined to go extinct easily, or shortly. Disciplinary isolation is emphasized by institutional contexts such as scientific societies and their congresses, specialist journals, disciplines recognized as teaching subjects and legitimate and fundable research fields. By shaping the personal agendas of individual scientists, this has a strong impact on the development of biology. In some fields, botanical and zoological contributions have long being effectively intertwined, but in many others plant and animal biology have failed to progress beyond a marginal dialogue. Characteristically, the so-called “general biology” and the philosophy of biology are still zoocentric (and often vertebrato- or even anthropocentric). In this article, I discuss legitimacy and fruitfulness of some old lexical and conceptual exchanges between the two traditions (cell, tissue, and embryo). Finally, moving to recent developments, I compare the contributions of plant vs. animal biology to the establishment of evolutionary developmental biology. We cannot expect that stronger integration between the different strands of life sciences will soon emerge by self-organization, but highlighting this persisting imbalance between plant and animal biology will arguably foster progress.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.1057355/fulldevelopmental biology journalsDictyosteliumevolutionary biology journalshistory of biologyhourglass modelparamorphism |
| spellingShingle | Alessandro Minelli Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devo Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution developmental biology journals Dictyostelium evolutionary biology journals history of biology hourglass model paramorphism |
| title | Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devo |
| title_full | Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devo |
| title_fullStr | Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devo |
| title_short | Two-way exchanges between animal and plant biology, with focus on evo-devo |
| title_sort | two way exchanges between animal and plant biology with focus on evo devo |
| topic | developmental biology journals Dictyostelium evolutionary biology journals history of biology hourglass model paramorphism |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.1057355/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alessandrominelli twowayexchangesbetweenanimalandplantbiologywithfocusonevodevo |