The vertebrate heart exhibits extensive diversity in form and function, reflecting the wide range of ecological and physiological conditions under which development occurs. However, expla- nations of cardiac evolution have largely focused on genetic regulatory mechanisms, often ne- glecting the role of developmental environments.

This project develops a theoretical framework for understanding how environmental conditions regulate the developmental mechanisms that shape cardiac evolution. Drawing on evolutionary developmental biology, comparative physiology, and philosophy of biology, it integrates two emerging perspectives: (1) the view that developmental environments are actively constructed by organisms, particularly in the context of reproduction, and (2) the role of physiological stress regimes in regulating developmental processes.

Focusing on cardiac development across vertebrates, the project investigates how factors such as oxygen availability and metabolic transitions act as regulatory triggers influencing cardiomy- ocyte differentiation and tissue organization. By synthesizing empirical research with concep- tual analysis, the project shows how environmental conditions become causally integrated into developmental mechanisms and thereby shape evolutionary trajectories.