Environmentally dependent developmental induction as a potential driver of heart evolution

Developmental biology and evolutionary theory have traditionally emphasized gene mutations as the primary drivers of new traits, with natural selection shaping the resulting variation. However, recent insights highlight the role of environmental factors during development in shaping trait evolution. In this Commentary, I introduce the 'environmentally dependent developmental induction' (EDDI) model, which proposes that phenotypic evolution is driven not only by genetic changes but also by environmentally induced modifications to the core developmental program. Using cardiogenesis as an example, I argue that environmental triggers such as oxygen levels and mechanical forces expand the genotypic toolkit available to heart development, activating new pathways that lead to the emergence of novel cardiac structures. These lineage-specific environmental changes might thus influence the differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells, resulting in modifications to the cardiac building plan. The EDDI model provides a novel explanation for how the basic cardiac plan was expanded during evolution while simultaneously explaining why cardiogenesis is vulnerable to malformations, even in the absence of genetic defects.