  We explore the implications for the high redshift universe of
``state-of-the-art'' models for the chemical and spectrophotometric evolution
of spiral galaxies. The models are based on simple ``scaling relations'' for
discs, obtained in the framework of Cold Dark Matter models for galaxy
formation, and were ``calibrated'' as to reproduce the properties of the Milky
Way and of nearby discs (at redshift z~0). In this paper, we compare the
predictions of our ``hybrid'' approach to galaxy evolution to observations at
moderate and high redshift. We find that the models are in fairly good
agreement with observations up to z~1, while some problems appear at higher
redshift (provided there is no selection bias in the data); these discrepancies
may suggest that galaxy mergers (not considered in this work) played a non
negligible role at z>1. We also predict the existence of a ``universal''
correlation between abundance gradients and disc scalelengths, independent of
redshift.
