Enriching Undergraduate Entomology Coursework through the Integration of Evolutionary Developmental Biology

Abstract

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) is a recently established discipline that connects evolutionary theory with developmental biology. However, despite evo-devo's integral use of diverse insect taxa as model systems and its interdisciplinary approach, current introductory entomology textbooks fail to fully integrate evo-devo into the undergraduate curriculum. We argue that an evo-devo case-study-based approach, focused on adult development, will not only familiarize students with exciting findings in this field, but will also help them deepen their understanding of basic entomological concepts. After a short background of the most important findings and methods currently used in evo-devo, we outline five case vignettes that span a variety of insect groups and entomological topics, including morphology and sexual selection.