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Koyabu D, Werneburg I, Morimoto N, Zollikofer CPE, Forasiepi AM, Endo H, Kimura J, Ohdachi SD, Truong Son N, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Mammalian skull heterochrony reveals modular evolution and a link between cranial development and brain size. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3625. [PMID: 24704703 PMCID: PMC3988809 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2013] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The multiple skeletal components of the skull originate asynchronously and their developmental schedule varies across amniotes. Here we present the embryonic ossification sequence of 134 species, covering all major groups of mammals and their close relatives. This comprehensive data set allows reconstruction of the heterochronic and modular evolution of the skull and the condition of the last common ancestor of mammals. We show that the mode of ossification (dermal or endochondral) unites bones into integrated evolutionary modules of heterochronic changes and imposes evolutionary constraints on cranial heterochrony. However, some skull-roof bones, such as the supraoccipital, exhibit evolutionary degrees of freedom in these constraints. Ossification timing of the neurocranium was considerably accelerated during the origin of mammals. Furthermore, association between developmental timing of the supraoccipital and brain size was identified among amniotes. We argue that cranial heterochrony in mammals has occurred in concert with encephalization but within a conserved modular organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Koyabu
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, Zürich 8006, Switzerland
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Ingmar Werneburg
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, Zürich 8006, Switzerland
| | - Naoki Morimoto
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Christoph P. E. Zollikofer
- Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Analia M. Forasiepi
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, Zürich 8006, Switzerland
- Ianigla, CCT-Mendoza, CONICET, Avda. Ruiz Leal s/n, Mendoza 5500, Argentina
| | - Hideki Endo
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Junpei Kimura
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 151–742, Korea
| | - Satoshi D. Ohdachi
- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-19 Nishi-8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan
| | - Nguyen Truong Son
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Hanoi 10000, Vietnam
| | - Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, Zürich 8006, Switzerland
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Unifying and generalizing the two strands of evo-devo. Trends Ecol Evol 2013; 28:584-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2013.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2013] [Revised: 06/17/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Hübler M, Molineaux AC, Keyte A, Schecker T, Sears KE. Development of the marsupial shoulder girdle complex: a case study in Monodelphis domestica. Evol Dev 2013; 15:18-27. [PMID: 23331914 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
During their embryogenesis, marsupials transiently develop a unique structure, the shoulder arch, which provides the structural support and muscle-attachments necessary for the newborn's crawl to the teat. One of the most pronounced and functionally important aspects of the shoulder arch is an enlarged coracoid. The goal of this study is to determine the molecular basis of shoulder arch formation in marsupials. To achieve this goal, this study investigates the relative expression of several genes with known roles in shoulder girdle morphogenesis in a marsupial-the opossum, Monodelphis domestica-and a placental, the mouse, Mus musculus. Results indicate that Hoxc6, a gene involved in coracoid patterning, is expressed for a longer period of time and at higher levels in opossum relative to mouse. Functional manipulation suggests that these differences in Hoxc6 expression are independent of documented differences in retinoic acid signaling in opossum and mouse forelimbs. Results also indicate that Emx2, a gene involved in scapular blade condensation, is upregulated in opossum relative to mouse. However, several other genes involved in shoulder girdle patterning (e.g., Gli3, Pax1, Pbx1, Tbx15) are comparably expressed in these species. These findings suggest that the upregulation of Hoxc6 and Emx2 occurs through independent genetic modifications in opossum relative to mouse. In summary, this study documents a correlation between gene expression and the divergent shoulder girdle morphogenesis of marsupial (i.e., opossum) and placental (i.e., mouse) mammals, and thereby provides a foundation for future research into the genetic basis of shoulder girdle morphogenesis in marsupials. Furthermore, this study supports the hypothesis that the mammalian shoulder girdle is a highly modular structure whose elements are relatively free to evolve independently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merla Hübler
- Department of Animal Biology, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
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Goswami A, Foley L, Weisbecker V. Patterns and implications of extensive heterochrony in carnivoran cranial suture closure. J Evol Biol 2013; 26:1294-306. [PMID: 23530892 PMCID: PMC4166780 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2012] [Revised: 01/10/2013] [Accepted: 01/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Heterochronic changes in the rate or timing of development underpin many evolutionary transformations. In particular, the onset and rate of bone development have been the focus of many studies across large clades. In contrast, the termination of bone growth, as estimated by suture closure, has been studied far less frequently, although a few recent studies have shown this to represent a variable, although poorly understood, aspect of developmental evolution. Here, we examine suture closure patterns across 25 species of carnivoran mammals, ranging from social-insectivores to hypercarnivores, to assess variation in suture closure across taxa, identify heterochronic shifts in a phylogenetic framework and elucidate the relationship between suture closure timing and ecology. Our results show that heterochronic shifts in suture closure are widespread across Carnivora, with several shifts identified for most major clades. Carnivorans differ from patterns identified for other mammalian clades in showing high variability of palatal suture closure, no correlation between size and level of suture closure, and little phylogenetic signal outside of musteloids. Results further suggest a strong influence of feeding ecology on suture closure pattern. Most of the species with high numbers of heterochronic shifts, such as the walrus and the aardwolf, feed on invertebrates, and these taxa also showed high frequency of closure of the mandibular symphysis, a state that is relatively rare among mammals. Overall, caniforms displayed more heterochronic shifts than feliforms, suggesting that evolutionary changes in suture closure may reflect the lower diversity of cranial morphology in feliforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Goswami
- Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, London, UK.
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Hautier L, Bennett NC, Viljoen H, Howard L, Milinkovitch MC, Tzika AC, Goswami A, Asher RJ. PATTERNS OF OSSIFICATION IN SOUTHERN VERSUS NORTHERN PLACENTAL MAMMALS. Evolution 2013; 67:1994-2010. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.12071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2012] [Accepted: 01/31/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lionel Hautier
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing St. Cambridge CB2 3EJ United Kingdom
| | - Nigel C. Bennett
- Department of Zoology and Entomology; University of Pretoria; Pretoria 0002 South Africa
| | - Hermien Viljoen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology; University of Pretoria; Pretoria 0002 South Africa
| | - Lauren Howard
- Science Facilities Department; British Museum of Natural History; Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD United Kingdom
| | - Michel C. Milinkovitch
- Laboratory of Artificial and Natural Evolution; Department of Genetics & Evolution; Sciences III Building; 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet 1211 Geneva Switzerland
| | - Athanasia C. Tzika
- Laboratory of Artificial and Natural Evolution; Department of Genetics & Evolution; Sciences III Building; 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet 1211 Geneva Switzerland
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment and Department of Earth Sciences; University College London; Wolfson House to Darwin Building; Gower Street London WC1E 6BT United Kingdom
| | - Robert J. Asher
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing St. Cambridge CB2 3EJ United Kingdom
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Sánchez-Villagra MR. Why are There Fewer Marsupials than Placentals? On the Relevance of Geography and Physiology to Evolutionary Patterns of Mammalian Diversity and Disparity. J MAMM EVOL 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-012-9220-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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GOSWAMI A, POLLY PD, MOCK OB, SÁNCHEZ-VILLAGRA MR. Shape, variance and integration during craniogenesis: contrasting marsupial and placental mammals. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:862-72. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02477.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Koyabu D, Endo H, Mitgutsch C, Suwa G, Catania KC, Zollikofer CPE, Oda SI, Koyasu K, Ando M, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Heterochrony and developmental modularity of cranial osteogenesis in lipotyphlan mammals. EvoDevo 2011; 2:21. [PMID: 22040374 PMCID: PMC3247175 DOI: 10.1186/2041-9139-2-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2011] [Accepted: 11/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Here we provide the most comprehensive study to date on the cranial ossification sequence in Lipotyphla, the group which includes shrews, moles and hedgehogs. This unique group, which encapsulates diverse ecological modes, such as terrestrial, subterranean, and aquatic lifestyles, is used to examine the evolutionary lability of cranial osteogenesis and to investigate the modularity of development. RESULTS An acceleration of developmental timing of the vomeronasal complex has occurred in the common ancestor of moles. However, ossification of the nasal bone has shifted late in the more terrestrial shrew mole. Among the lipotyphlans, sequence heterochrony shows no significant association with modules derived from developmental origins (that is, neural crest cells vs. mesoderm derived parts) or with those derived from ossification modes (that is, dermal vs. endochondral ossification). CONCLUSIONS The drastic acceleration of vomeronasal development in moles is most likely coupled with the increased importance of the rostrum for digging and its use as a specialized tactile surface, both fossorial adaptations. The late development of the nasal in shrew moles, a condition also displayed by hedgehogs and shrews, is suggested to be the result of an ecological reversal to terrestrial lifestyle and reduced functional importance of the rostrum. As an overall pattern in lipotyphlans, our results reject the hypothesis that ossification sequence heterochrony occurs in modular fashion when considering the developmental patterns of the skull. We suggest that shifts in the cranial ossification sequence are not evolutionarily constrained by developmental origins or mode of ossification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Koyabu
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, 113-0033 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideki Endo
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, 113-0033 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Christian Mitgutsch
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gen Suwa
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, 113-0033 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenneth C Catania
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 35-1634, Nashville, USA
| | - Christoph PE Zollikofer
- Anthropologisches Institut, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sen-ichi Oda
- Department of Zoology, Okayama University of Science, Ridaichou, Kita-ku, 700-0005 Okayama, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Koyasu
- The Second Department of Anatomy, School of Dentistry, Aichi-Gakuin University, Kusumotochou 1-100, 464-8650 Nagoya, Japan
| | - Motokazu Ando
- Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Funako 1737, 243-0034 Atsugi, Japan
| | - Marcelo R Sánchez-Villagra
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland
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60
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Kelly EM, Sears KE. Limb specialization in living marsupial and eutherian mammals: constraints on mammalian limb evolution. J Mammal 2011. [DOI: 10.1644/10-mamm-a-425.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Mitgutsch C, Wimmer C, Sánchez-Villagra MR, Hahnloser R, Schneider RA. Timing of ossification in duck, quail, and zebra finch: intraspecific variation, heterochronies, and life history evolution. Zoolog Sci 2011; 28:491-500. [PMID: 21728797 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.28.491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Skeletogenic heterochronies have gained much attention in comparative developmental biology. The temporal appearance of mineralized individual bones in a species - the species ossification sequence - is an excellent marker in this kind of study. Several publications describe interspecific variation, but only very few detail intraspecific variation. In this study, we describe and analyze the temporal order of ossification of skeletal elements in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, the Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica, and the White Pekin duck, a domestic race of the mallard Anas platyrhynchos, and explore patterns of intraspecific variation in these events. The overall sequences were found to be conserved. In the duck, variability is present in the relative timing of ossification in the occipital, the basisphenoid and the otic regions of the skull and the phalanges in the postcranium. This variation appears generally in close temporal proximity. Comparison with previously published data shows differences in ossification sequence in the skull, the feet, and the pelvis in the duck, and especially the pelvis in the quail. This clearly documents variability among different breeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Mitgutsch
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland
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Hautier L, Weisbecker V, Goswami A, Knight F, Kardjilov N, Asher RJ. Skeletal ossification and sequence heterochrony in xenarthran evolution. Evol Dev 2011; 13:460-76. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-142x.2011.00503.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lionel Hautier
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing St.; Cambridge CB2 3EJ; UK
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Cambridge; Downing St.; Cambridge; CB2 3EQ; UK
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Genetics; Evolution, and Environment and Department of Earth Sciences; University College London; Wolfson House 408, 4 Stephenson Way; London; NW1 2HE; UK
| | - Frank Knight
- Division of Sciences and Mathematics; 104 Smith-Broyles Science Center, 415 N. College Avenue; Clarksville; AR; 72830; USA
| | - Nikolay Kardjilov
- Helmholtz Centre Berlin for Materials and Energy Institute of Applied Materials; Hahn-Meitner-Platz; 14109; Berlin; Germany
| | - Robert J. Asher
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing St.; Cambridge CB2 3EJ; UK
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Weisbecker V. MONOTREME OSSIFICATION SEQUENCES AND THE RIDDLE OF MAMMALIAN SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT. Evolution 2011; 65:1323-35. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01234.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vera Weisbecker
- Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St. CB2 3EQ, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Friedrich‐Schiller Universität Jena, Erbertstr.1, 07743 Jena, Germany
- E‐mail:
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KELLY EM, SEARS KARENE. Reduced phenotypic covariation in marsupial limbs and the implications for mammalian evolution. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01561.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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66
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Werneburg I, Sánchez-Villagra MR. The early development of the echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Mammalia: Monotremata), and patterns of mammalian development. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-6395.2009.00447.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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67
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Goswami A, Milne N, Wroe S. Biting through constraints: cranial morphology, disparity and convergence across living and fossil carnivorous mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 278:1831-9. [PMID: 21106595 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.2031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Carnivory has evolved independently several times in eutherian (including placental) and metatherian (including marsupial) mammals. We used geometric morphometrics to assess convergences associated with the evolution of carnivory across a broad suite of mammals, including the eutherian clades Carnivora and Creodonta and the metatherian clades Thylacoleonidae, Dasyuromorphia, Didelphidae and Borhyaenoidea. We further quantified cranial disparity across eutherians and metatherians to test the hypothesis that the marsupial mode of reproduction has constrained their morphological evolution. This study, to our knowledge the first to extensively sample pre-Pleistocene taxa, analysed 30 three-dimensional landmarks, focused mainly on the facial region, which were digitized on 130 specimens, including 36 fossil taxa. Data were analysed with principal components (PC) analysis, and three measures of disparity were compared between eutherians and metatherians. PC1 showed a shift from short to long faces and seemed to represent diet and ecology. PC2 was dominated by the unique features of sabre-toothed forms: dramatic expansion of the maxilla at the expense of the frontal bones. PC3, in combination with PC1, distinguished metatherians and eutherians. Metatherians, despite common comparisons with felids, were more similar to caniforms, which was unexpected for taxa such as the sabre-toothed marsupial Thylacosmilus. Contrary to previous studies, metatherian carnivores consistently exhibited disparity which exceeded that of the much more speciose eutherian carnivore radiations, refuting the hypothesis that developmental constraints have limited the morphological evolution of the marsupial cranium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Goswami
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, 4 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HE, UK.
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68
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Skeletal development in sloths and the evolution of mammalian vertebral patterning. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:18903-8. [PMID: 20956304 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1010335107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals show a very low level of variation in vertebral count, particularly in the neck. Phenotypes exhibited at various stages during the development of the axial skeleton may play a key role in testing mechanisms recently proposed to explain this conservatism. Here, we provide osteogenetic data that identify developmental criteria with which to recognize cervical vs. noncervical vertebrae in mammals. Except for sloths, all mammals show the late ossification of the caudal-most centra in the neck after other centra and neural arches. In sloths with 8-10 ribless neck vertebrae, the caudal-most neck centra ossify early, matching the pattern observed in cranial thoracic vertebrae of other mammals. Accordingly, we interpret the ribless neck vertebrae of three-toed sloths caudal to V7 as thoracic based on our developmental criterion. Applied to the unusual vertebral phenotype of long-necked sloths, these data support the interpretation that elements of the axial skeleton with origins from distinct mesodermal tissues have repatterned over the course of evolution.
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Olsson L, Levit GS, Hossfeld U. Evolutionary developmental biology: its concepts and history with a focus on Russian and German contributions. Naturwissenschaften 2010; 97:951-69. [PMID: 20865238 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-010-0720-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Revised: 09/13/2010] [Accepted: 09/14/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary theory has been likened to a "universal acid" (Dennett 1995) that eats its way into more and more areas of science. Recently, developmental biology has been infused by evolutionary concepts and perspectives, and a new field of research--evolutionary developmental biology--has been created and is often called EvoDevo for short. However, this is not the first attempt to make a synthesis between these two areas of biology. In contrast, beginning right after the publication of Darwin's Origin in 1859, Ernst Haeckel formulated his biogenetic law in 1872, famously stating that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. Haeckel was in his turn influenced by pre-Darwinian thinkers such as Karl Ernst von Baer, who had noted that earlier developmental stages show similarities not seen in the adults. In this review, written for an audience of non-specialists, we first give an overview of the history of EvoDevo, especially the tradition emanating from Haeckel and other comparative embryologists and morphologists, which has often been neglected in discussions about the history of EvoDevo and evolutionary biology. Here we emphasize contributions from Russian and German scientists to compensate for the Anglo-American bias in the literature. In Germany, the direct influence of Ernst Haeckel was felt particularly in Jena, where he spent his entire career as a professor, and we give an overview of the "Jena school" of evolutionary morphology, with protagonists such as Oscar Hertwig, Ludwig Plate, and Victor Franz, who all developed ideas that we would nowadays think of as belonging to EvoDevo. Franz ideas about "biometabolic modi" are similar to those of a Russian comparative morphologist that visited Jena repeatedly, A. N. Sewertzoff, who made important contributions to what we now call heterochrony research--heterochrony meaning changes in the relative timing of developmental events. His student I. I. Schmalhausen became an important contributor to the synthetic theory of evolution in Russia and is only partly known outside of the Russian-reading world because only one of his many books was translated into English early on. He made many important contributions to evolutionary theory and we point out the important parallels between Schmalhausen's ideas (stabilizing selection, autonomization) and C. H. Waddington's (canalization, genetic assimilation). This is one of the many parallels that have contributed to an increased appreciation of the internationality of progress in evolutionary thinking in the first half of the twentieth century. A direct link between German and Russian evolutionary biology is provided by N. V. Timoféeff-Ressovsky, whose work on, e.g., fly genetics in Berlin is a crucial part of the history of evo-devo. To emphasize the international nature of heterochrony research as predecessor to the modern era of EvoDevo, we include Sir G. R. de Beer's work in the UK. This historical part is followed by a short review of the discovery and importance of homeobox genes and of some of the major concepts that form the core of modern EvoDevo, such as modularity, constraints, and evolutionary novelties. Major trends in contemporary EvoDevo are then outlined, such as increased use of genomics and molecular genetics, computational and bioinformatics approaches, ecological developmental biology (eco-devo), and phylogenetically informed comparative embryology. Based on our survey, we end the review with an outlook on future trends and important issues in EvoDevo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart Olsson
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie mit Phyletischem Museum, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Erbertstr. 1, 07743, Jena, Germany.
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The fossil record of fish ontogenies: Insights into developmental patterns and processes. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2010; 21:400-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2009.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2009] [Revised: 11/04/2009] [Accepted: 11/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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71
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Wilson LAB, Schradin C, Mitgutsch C, Galliari FC, Mess A, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Skeletogenesis and sequence heterochrony in rodent evolution, with particular emphasis on the African striped mouse, Rhabdomys pumilio (Mammalia). ORG DIVERS EVOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-010-0020-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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