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Günter P. Wagner

January 01, 1970

Günter P. Wagner (born May 28, 1954 in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian-born evolutionary biologist who is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary biology at Yale University,[1] and head of the Wagner Lab.[2]

Günter P. Wagner
Wagner in 2008
Born (1954-05-28) May 28, 1954 (age 69)
Vienna, Austria
Alma materUniversity of Vienna
AwardsMacArthur Prize (1992)
A.O. Kovalevsky Medal (2016)
Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal (2018)
Scientific career
Fieldsevolutionary biology, evolutionary developmental biology
Doctoral advisorRupert Riedl

Education and training edit

After undergraduate education in chemical engineering, Wagner studied zoology and mathematical logic at the University of Vienna, Austria. During his graduate study, Wagner worked with the Viennese zoologist Rupert Riedl and the theoretical chemist Peter Schuster, and finished his PhD in theoretical population genetics in 1979. Wagner conducted postdoctoral research at Max Planck Institutes in Göttingen and Tübingen, as well as at the University of Göttingen.

Wagner began his academic career as assistant professor in the Theoretical Biology Department of the University of Vienna in 1985. In 1991, he moved to Yale University as a full professor of biology and has served as the first chair of Yale's Department of Ecology and Evolution from 1997 2002 and then from 2005 to 2008.

Work edit

The focus of Wagner's work is on the evolution of complex characters. His research utilizes both the theoretical tools of population genetics as well as experimental approaches in evolutionary developmental biology. Wagner has contributed substantially to the current understanding of evolvability of complex organisms, the origin of novel characters, and modularity.

Population genetics edit

Wagner's early work was focused on mathematical population genetics. Together with the mathematician Reinhard Bürger at the University of Vienna, he contributed to the theory of mutation–selection balance and the evolution of dominance modifiers. Later Wagner shifted his focus on issues of the evolution of variational properties like canalization and modularity. He introduced the seminal distinction between variation and variability, the former describing the actually existing differences among individuals while the latter measures the tendency to vary, as measured in mutation rate and mutational variance. He published the first mathematical model for the evolution of genetic canalization,[3] and thus contributed to the renaissance of studies of canalization in the mid 1990s. His more recent work is on the measurement of gene interaction, the evolution of evolvability and how it relates to the evolution of genetic architecture.[4]

Evolutionary developmental biology edit

With the advent of comparative developmental genetics in the early 1991 Wagner's research program shifted towards the molecular evolution of developmental genes, initially Hox genes and Hox gene clusters. The Wagner lab was the first to identify major blocks of ultraconserved non-coding sequences in the intergenic regions between Hox genes,[5] and dated the “fish-specific” Hox cluster duplication to nearly coincide with the most recent common ancestor of Teleostei fish.[6] This work led to the theory that Hox cluster and genome duplications create a window of opportunity which, if coincidental with ecological changes, can lead to the fixation of these genes and novel gene functions.[7]

In recent years the Wagner lab has focussed on the evolution of gene regulatory networks, in particular the role of transcription factor protein evolution in evolutionary innovation.[8] In August 2016, an article by Wagner and Mihaela Pavlicev, gained attention for proposing a possible evolutionary connection between the female orgasm in humans and ovulation induced by copulation in other mammals.[9]

Homology and innovation edit

A key conceptual and mechanistic problem in evolutionary biology is the nature of character identity, aka homology. Wagner was an early proponent of a mechanistic understanding of homology,[10][11] together with Louise Roth at Duke University and Gerd Müller at the University of Vienna. A test case for this approach arose when Wagner and his colleague Jacques Gauthier proposed a solution of the century-old problem of the identity of avian digits.[12] The core of the problem is that the three digits in the bird wing have the morphology of digits 1, 2, and 3, but develop from the digit condensations 2, 3, and 4, which according to some shows that they should be digits 2, 3, and 4. Wagner and Gauthier proposed that during the evolution of theropod dinosaurs, the closest relatives of birds, digits have "changed place" so that in the bird wing digit 1 develops from position 2 and digit 2 from position 3 and digit 3 from position 4 in the wing bud. This view is now strongly supported by molecular and experimental evidence and shows how mechanistic insights can solve seemingly intractable conceptual problems.

According to Wagner the homology concept has a complementary twin, that of innovation. While homology refers to the historical continuity of character identity, the term innovation refers to the origin of novel characters, i.e. the origin of novel homologues. Therefore, Wagner and Müller argue that the origin and maintenance of character identity is a central goal of evolutionary developmental biology.[13]

Awards edit

Günter Wagner is recipient of numerous awards, among them the prestigious MacArthur Prize in 1992,[14] the Bobby Murcer Prize in 2001,[citation needed] and the Humboldt Prize in 2007.[15] He received nominations as Gomperz Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley 1993; Koopmans Distinguished Lecturer, IIASA Vienna 1995; Sewall Wright Speaker, University of Chicago, IL, 1996. He is also a corresponding Member of Austrian Academy of Sciences (1997), a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1997), and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2010).[16] He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2018.[17]

Publications edit

Wagner has published four books, numerous book chapters and more than 270 scientific articles.

Books

  • The Character Concept in Evolutionary Biology, Academic Press. 2000
  • Modularity in Development and Evolution, University of Chicago Press, 2004
  • Morphology and the Evolution of Development, Yale University Press. 2007
  • Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation. Princeton University Press. 2014

Articles

  • ResearchGate Publication list

References edit

  1. ^ . Archived from the original on 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  2. ^ . Archived from the original on 2003-08-02. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  3. ^ Wagner, G. P., G. Booth, and H. Bagheri-Chaichian. 1997. "A population genetic theory of canalization". Evolution 51:329–347.
  4. ^ Wagner, G. P., J. P. Kenney-Hunt, M. Pavlicev, J. R. Peck, D. Waxman, and J. M. Cheverud. 2008. "Pleiotropic scaling of gene effects and the 'cost of complexity.'" Nature 452:470-472.
  5. ^ Chiu, C.-h., C. Amemiya, K. Dewar, C.-b. Kim, F. Ruddle, and G. P. Wagner. 2002. Molecular evolution of the HoxA cluster in three major gnathostome lineages. PNAS 99:5492-5497.
  6. ^ Crow, K. D., P. F. Stadler, V. J. Lynch, C. Amemiya, and G. P. Wagner. 2006. The "Fish-Specific" Hox Cluster Duplication Is Coincident with the Origin of Teleosts. Mol Biol Evol 23:121-136.
  7. ^ Wagner, G. P., C. Amemiya, and F. Ruddle. 2003. Hox cluster duplications and the opportunity for evolutionary novelties. PNAS 100:14603-14606.
  8. ^ Lynch, V. J., A. Tanzer, Y. Wang, F. C. Leung, B. Gellersen, D. Emera, and G. P. Wagner. 2008. Adaptive changes in the transcription factor HoxA-11 are essential for the evolution of pregnancy in mammals. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 105:14928-14933.
  9. ^ Pavličev M, Wagner G, 2016. The evolutionary origin of female orgasm. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 00B:1–12.
  10. ^ Wagner, G. P. 1989a. The biological homology concept. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 20:51-69.
  11. ^ Wagner, G. P. 2007. The developmental genetics of homology. Nature Rev. Genetics 8:473-479.
  12. ^ Wagner, G. P., and J. A. Gauthier. 1999. 1,2,3=2,3,4: A solution to the problem of the homology of the digits in the avian hand. PNAS 96:5111-5116.
  13. ^ Müller, G. B., and G. P. Wagner. 1991. Novelty in evolution: restructuring the concept. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 22:229-256.
  14. ^ "Gunter Wagner, PHD".
  15. ^ "Gunter Wagner, PHD".
  16. ^ "Gunter Wagner, PHD".
  17. ^ "Gunter Wagner Elected to the National Academy of Sciences | Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology".

External links edit

  • Yale University Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

January 01, 1970
günter, wagner, born, 1954, vienna, austria, austrian, born, evolutionary, biologist, professor, ecology, evolutionary, biology, yale, university, head, wagner, wagner, 2008born, 1954, 1954, vienna, austriaalma, materuniversity, viennaawardsmacarthur, prize, 1. Gunter P Wagner born May 28 1954 in Vienna Austria is an Austrian born evolutionary biologist who is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary biology at Yale University 1 and head of the Wagner Lab 2 Gunter P WagnerWagner in 2008Born 1954 05 28 May 28 1954 age 69 Vienna AustriaAlma materUniversity of ViennaAwardsMacArthur Prize 1992 A O Kovalevsky Medal 2016 Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal 2018 Scientific careerFieldsevolutionary biology evolutionary developmental biologyDoctoral advisorRupert Riedl Contents 1 Education and training 2 Work 2 1 Population genetics 2 2 Evolutionary developmental biology 2 3 Homology and innovation 3 Awards 4 Publications 5 References 6 External linksEducation and training editAfter undergraduate education in chemical engineering Wagner studied zoology and mathematical logic at the University of Vienna Austria During his graduate study Wagner worked with the Viennese zoologist Rupert Riedl and the theoretical chemist Peter Schuster and finished his PhD in theoretical population genetics in 1979 Wagner conducted postdoctoral research at Max Planck Institutes in Gottingen and Tubingen as well as at the University of Gottingen Wagner began his academic career as assistant professor in the Theoretical Biology Department of the University of Vienna in 1985 In 1991 he moved to Yale University as a full professor of biology and has served as the first chair of Yale s Department of Ecology and Evolution from 1997 2002 and then from 2005 to 2008 Work editThe focus of Wagner s work is on the evolution of complex characters His research utilizes both the theoretical tools of population genetics as well as experimental approaches in evolutionary developmental biology Wagner has contributed substantially to the current understanding of evolvability of complex organisms the origin of novel characters and modularity Population genetics edit Wagner s early work was focused on mathematical population genetics Together with the mathematician Reinhard Burger at the University of Vienna he contributed to the theory of mutation selection balance and the evolution of dominance modifiers Later Wagner shifted his focus on issues of the evolution of variational properties like canalization and modularity He introduced the seminal distinction between variation and variability the former describing the actually existing differences among individuals while the latter measures the tendency to vary as measured in mutation rate and mutational variance He published the first mathematical model for the evolution of genetic canalization 3 and thus contributed to the renaissance of studies of canalization in the mid 1990s His more recent work is on the measurement of gene interaction the evolution of evolvability and how it relates to the evolution of genetic architecture 4 Evolutionary developmental biology edit With the advent of comparative developmental genetics in the early 1991 Wagner s research program shifted towards the molecular evolution of developmental genes initially Hox genes and Hox gene clusters The Wagner lab was the first to identify major blocks of ultraconserved non coding sequences in the intergenic regions between Hox genes 5 and dated the fish specific Hox cluster duplication to nearly coincide with the most recent common ancestor of Teleostei fish 6 This work led to the theory that Hox cluster and genome duplications create a window of opportunity which if coincidental with ecological changes can lead to the fixation of these genes and novel gene functions 7 In recent years the Wagner lab has focussed on the evolution of gene regulatory networks in particular the role of transcription factor protein evolution in evolutionary innovation 8 In August 2016 an article by Wagner and Mihaela Pavlicev gained attention for proposing a possible evolutionary connection between the female orgasm in humans and ovulation induced by copulation in other mammals 9 Homology and innovation edit A key conceptual and mechanistic problem in evolutionary biology is the nature of character identity aka homology Wagner was an early proponent of a mechanistic understanding of homology 10 11 together with Louise Roth at Duke University and Gerd Muller at the University of Vienna A test case for this approach arose when Wagner and his colleague Jacques Gauthier proposed a solution of the century old problem of the identity of avian digits 12 The core of the problem is that the three digits in the bird wing have the morphology of digits 1 2 and 3 but develop from the digit condensations 2 3 and 4 which according to some shows that they should be digits 2 3 and 4 Wagner and Gauthier proposed that during the evolution of theropod dinosaurs the closest relatives of birds digits have changed place so that in the bird wing digit 1 develops from position 2 and digit 2 from position 3 and digit 3 from position 4 in the wing bud This view is now strongly supported by molecular and experimental evidence and shows how mechanistic insights can solve seemingly intractable conceptual problems According to Wagner the homology concept has a complementary twin that of innovation While homology refers to the historical continuity of character identity the term innovation refers to the origin of novel characters i e the origin of novel homologues Therefore Wagner and Muller argue that the origin and maintenance of character identity is a central goal of evolutionary developmental biology 13 Awards editGunter Wagner is recipient of numerous awards among them the prestigious MacArthur Prize in 1992 14 the Bobby Murcer Prize in 2001 citation needed and the Humboldt Prize in 2007 15 He received nominations as Gomperz Lecturer University of California Berkeley 1993 Koopmans Distinguished Lecturer IIASA Vienna 1995 Sewall Wright Speaker University of Chicago IL 1996 He is also a corresponding Member of Austrian Academy of Sciences 1997 a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 1997 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2010 16 He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2018 17 Publications editWagner has published four books numerous book chapters and more than 270 scientific articles Books The Character Concept in Evolutionary Biology Academic Press 2000 Modularity in Development and Evolution University of Chicago Press 2004 Morphology and the Evolution of Development Yale University Press 2007 Homology Genes and Evolutionary Innovation Princeton University Press 2014 Articles ResearchGate Publication listReferences edit Yale Department of Ecology amp Evolutionary Biology Archived from the original on 2008 10 24 Retrieved 2020 01 25 Wagner Lab People Archived from the original on 2003 08 02 Retrieved 2010 04 29 Wagner G P G Booth and H Bagheri Chaichian 1997 A population genetic theory of canalization Evolution 51 329 347 Wagner G P J P Kenney Hunt M Pavlicev J R Peck D Waxman and J M Cheverud 2008 Pleiotropic scaling of gene effects and the cost of complexity Nature 452 470 472 Chiu C h C Amemiya K Dewar C b Kim F Ruddle and G P Wagner 2002 Molecular evolution of the HoxA cluster in three major gnathostome lineages PNAS 99 5492 5497 Crow K D P F Stadler V J Lynch C Amemiya and G P Wagner 2006 The Fish Specific Hox Cluster Duplication Is Coincident with the Origin of Teleosts Mol Biol Evol 23 121 136 Wagner G P C Amemiya and F Ruddle 2003 Hox cluster duplications and the opportunity for evolutionary novelties PNAS 100 14603 14606 Lynch V J A Tanzer Y Wang F C Leung B Gellersen D Emera and G P Wagner 2008 Adaptive changes in the transcription factor HoxA 11 are essential for the evolution of pregnancy in mammals Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 105 14928 14933 Pavlicev M Wagner G 2016 The evolutionary origin of female orgasm J Exp Zool Mol Dev Evol 00B 1 12 Wagner G P 1989a The biological homology concept Annu Rev Ecol Syst 20 51 69 Wagner G P 2007 The developmental genetics of homology Nature Rev Genetics 8 473 479 Wagner G P and J A Gauthier 1999 1 2 3 2 3 4 A solution to the problem of the homology of the digits in the avian hand PNAS 96 5111 5116 Muller G B and G P Wagner 1991 Novelty in evolution restructuring the concept Annu Rev Ecol Syst 22 229 256 Gunter Wagner PHD Gunter Wagner PHD Gunter Wagner PHD Gunter Wagner Elected to the National Academy of Sciences Department of Ecology amp Evolutionary Biology External links editYale University Department of Ecology amp Evolutionary Biology nbsp Biology portal Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gunter P Wagner amp oldid 1133039382, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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