Workshop: "Developmental Instability: Origins and Evolutionary Implications;" Tempe, AZ; June 14-15, 1993

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Developmental instability (DI) is the failure of an organism to develop normally, in ways ranging from physical anomalies and disease to abnormal behavior. The causes of DI include genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. In man, DIs include cleft lip, congenital heart disease, schizophrenia and chromosomal abnormalities as well as exposure to teratogens such as alcohol and isoretinoin. However, despite extensive theoretical explanations, it is not known how developmental homeostasis breaks down to produce abnormal phenotypes. This award supports a workshop titled "Developmental Instability: Its Origins and Evolutionary Significance". This conference will discuss ways to measure developmental instability, genetic and developmental origins of instability, human health and phenotypic variation, and DI's relevance to population biology and evolution in general. The coonference breaks new ground and has a strong interdisciplinary approach, joining the fields of evolutionary and developmental biology. %%% DI has far-reaching implications for population biology, environmental biology and human health. DI is reported to increase in populations of organisms whose habitats are polluted or otherwise altered, as well as in those experiencing bottlenecks and subsequent inbreeding. Despite this lack of knowledge, DI is already employed as the basis for decisions regarding whether species are endangered or humans are at risk.