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Prinz R. Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of code biology. Biosystems 2023; 229:104907. [PMID: 37207840 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2023.104907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
This article highlights the potential contribution of biological codes to the course and dynamics of evolution. The concept of organic codes, developed by Marcello Barbieri, has fundamentally changed our view of how living systems function. The notion that molecular interactions built on adaptors that arbitrarily link molecules from different "worlds" in a conventional, i.e., rule-based way, departs significantly from the law-based constraints imposed on livening things by physical and chemical mechanisms. In other words, living and non-living things behave like rules and laws, respectively, but this important distinction is rarely considered in current evolutionary theory. The many known codes allow quantification of codes that relate to a cell, or comparisons between different biological systems and may pave the way to a quantitative and empirical research agenda in code biology. A starting point for such an endeavour is the introduction of a simple dichotomous classification of structural and regulatory codes. This classification can be used as a tool to analyse and quantify key organising principles of the living world, such as modularity, hierarchy, and robustness, based on organic codes. The implications for evolutionary research are related to the unique dynamics of codes, or ´Eigendynamics´ (self-momentum) and how they determine the behaviour of biological systems from within, whereas physical constraints are imposed mainly from without. A speculation on the drivers of macroevolution in light of codes is followed by the conclusion that a meaningful and comprehensive understanding of evolution depends including codes into the equation of life.
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Bicknell RDC, Kimmig J, Budd GE, Legg DA, Bader KS, Haug C, Kaiser D, Laibl L, Tashman JN, Campione NE. Habitat and developmental constraints drove 330 million years of horseshoe crab evolution. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Records of evolutionary stasis over time are central to uncovering large-scale evolutionary modes, whether by long-term gradual change or via enduring stability punctuated by rapid shifts. The key to this discussion is to identify and examine groups with long fossil records that, ideally, extend to the present day. One group often regarded as the quintessential example of stasis is Xiphosurida, the horseshoe crabs. However, when, how and, particularly, why stasis arose in xiphosurids remain fundamental, but complex, questions. Here, we explore the protracted history of fossil and living xiphosurids and demonstrate two levels of evolutionary stability: developmental stasis since at least the Pennsylvanian and shape stasis since the Late Jurassic. Furthermore, shape and diversity are punctuated by two high-disparity episodes during the Carboniferous and Triassic – transitions that coincide with forays into habitation of marginal environments. In an exception to these general patterns, body size increased gradually over this period and, thus, cannot be described under the same, often-touted, static models of evolution. Therefore, we demonstrate that evolutionary stasis can be modular and fixed within the same group at different periods and in different biological traits, while other traits experience altogether different evolutionary modes. This mosaic in the tempo and mode of evolution is not unique to Xiphosurida but likely reflects variable mechanisms acting on biological traits, for example transitions in life modes, niche occupation and major evolutionary radiations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell D C Bicknell
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, 2351 New South Wales, Australia
| | - Julien Kimmig
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Graham E Budd
- Department of Earth Sciences, Palaeobiology Programme, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, Uppsala, SE, Sweden
| | - David A Legg
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Kenneth S Bader
- Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Carolin Haug
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), Biocenter, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- GeoBio-Center at LMU, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 Munich, Germany
| | - Dorkas Kaiser
- Western Philippine University, Puerto Princesa City, 5300, Palawan, Philippines
- Katala Foundation Inc., Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines
| | - Lukáš Laibl
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geology, Rozvojová 269, 165 00 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Jessica N Tashman
- Department of Geology, Kent State University, 221 McGilvrey Hall, Kent, OH, USA
| | - Nicolás E Campione
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, 2351 New South Wales, Australia
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