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Nadolski EM, Moczek AP. Promises and limits of an agency perspective in evolutionary developmental biology. Evol Dev 2023; 25:371-392. [PMID: 37038309 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
An agent-based perspective in the study of complex systems is well established in diverse disciplines, yet is only beginning to be applied to evolutionary developmental biology. In this essay, we begin by defining agency and associated terminology formally. We then explore the assumptions and predictions of an agency perspective, apply these to select processes and key concept areas relevant to practitioners of evolutionary developmental biology, and consider the potential epistemic roles that an agency perspective might play in evo devo. Throughout, we discuss evidence supportive of agential dynamics in biological systems relevant to evo devo and explore where agency thinking may enrich the explanatory reach of research efforts in evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M Nadolski
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Armin P Moczek
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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2
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Fiksinski AM, Hoftman GD, Vorstman JAS, Bearden CE. A genetics-first approach to understanding autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders: the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:341-353. [PMID: 36192458 PMCID: PMC9812786 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01783-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Recently, increasing numbers of rare pathogenic genetic variants have been identified that are associated with variably elevated risks of a range of neurodevelopmental outcomes, notably including Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD), and Intellectual Disability (ID). This review is organized along three main questions: First, how can we unify the exclusively descriptive basis of our current psychiatric diagnostic classification system with the recognition of an identifiable, highly penetrant genetic risk factor in an increasing proportion of patients with ASD or SSD? Second, what can be learned from studies of individuals with ASD or SSD who share a common genetic basis? And third, what accounts for the observed variable penetrance and pleiotropy of neuropsychiatric phenotypes in individuals with the same pathogenic variant? In this review, we focus on findings of clinical and preclinical studies of the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). This particular variant is not only one of the most common among the increasing list of known rare pathogenic variants, but also one that benefits from a relatively long research history. Consequently, 22q11DS is an appealing model as it allows us to: (1) elucidate specific genotype-phenotype associations, (2) prospectively study behaviorally defined classifications, such as ASD or SSD, in the context of a known, well-characterized genetic basis, and (3) elucidate mechanisms underpinning variable penetrance and pleiotropy, phenomena with far-reaching ramifications for research and clinical practice. We discuss how findings from animal and in vitro studies relate to observations in human studies and can help elucidate factors, including genetic, environmental, and stochastic, that impact the expression of neuropsychiatric phenotypes in 22q11DS, and how this may inform mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental expression in the general population. We conclude with research priorities for the field, which may pave the way for novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ania M Fiksinski
- Department of Psychology and Department of Pediatrics, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Division of Mental Health, MHeNS, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Gil D Hoftman
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jacob A S Vorstman
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, Research Institute, and Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carrie E Bearden
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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3
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Toh KX, Yap S, Goh TG, Puniamoorthy N. Sexual size dimorphism and male reproductive traits vary across populations of a tropical rainforest dung beetle species ( Onthophagus babirussa). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9279. [PMID: 36177114 PMCID: PMC9481888 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) arises when natural selection and sexual selection act differently on males and females. Male‐biased SSD is rarer in insects and usually indicates strong sexual selection pressure on male body size in a species. Patterns of SSD can also vary between populations of species that are exposed to different environmental conditions, such as differing resource availability and diversity. Here, we investigate intraspecific variation in SSD as well as relative investment in precopulatory (horn length) and postcopulatory traits (sperm length and testes weight) in a tropical rainforest dung beetle Onthophagus babirussa across Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. Overall, three out of four populations displayed significant male‐biased SSD, and SSD was greater in populations with smaller overall body size. Average male body size was similar across all populations while female body size was significantly smaller in Singapore, suggesting that the pronounced SSD may also be due to stronger sexual selection on male body size in Singapore populations. All populations showed significant investment in horns as a weapon likely used in male‐male competition, while postcopulatory traits showed no clear scaling relationship with body size, suggesting a higher priority on precopulatory sexual traits in the mating system of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Xin Toh
- Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
| | - Sean Yap
- Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
| | - Thary Gazi Goh
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Science Faculty University of Malaya Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
| | - Nalini Puniamoorthy
- Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore
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4
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Moczek AP. When the end modifies its means: the origins of novelty and the evolution of innovation. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The origin of novel complex traits constitutes a central yet largely unresolved challenge in evolutionary biology. Intriguingly, many of the most promising breakthroughs in understanding the genesis of evolutionary novelty in recent years have occurred not in evolutionary biology itself, but through the comparative study of development and, more recently, the interface of developmental biology and ecology. Here, I discuss how these insights are changing our understanding of what matters in the origin of novel, complex traits in ontogeny and evolution. Specifically, my essay has two major objectives. First, I discuss how the nature of developmental systems biases the production of phenotypic variation in the face of novel or stressful environments toward functional, integrated and, possibly, adaptive variants. This, in turn, allows the production of novel phenotypes to precede (rather than follow) changes in genotype and allows developmental processes that are the product of past evolution to shape evolutionary change that has yet to occur. Second, I explore how this nature of developmental systems has itself evolved over time, increasing the repertoire of ontogenies to pursue a wider range of objectives across an expanding range of conditions, thereby creating an increasingly extensive affordance landscape in development and developmental evolution. Developmental systems and their evolution can thus be viewed as dynamic processes that modify their own means across ontogeny and phylogeny. The study of these dynamics necessitates more than the strict reductionist approach that currently dominates the fields of developmental and evolutionary developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin P Moczek
- Department of Biology, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN , USA
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Lafuente E, Lürig MD, Rövekamp M, Matthews B, Buser C, Vorburger C, Räsänen K. Building on 150 Years of Knowledge: The Freshwater Isopod Asellus aquaticus as an Integrative Eco-Evolutionary Model System. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.748212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Interactions between organisms and their environments are central to how biological diversity arises and how natural populations and ecosystems respond to environmental change. These interactions involve processes by which phenotypes are affected by or respond to external conditions (e.g., via phenotypic plasticity or natural selection) as well as processes by which organisms reciprocally interact with the environment (e.g., via eco-evolutionary feedbacks). Organism-environment interactions can be highly dynamic and operate on different hierarchical levels, from genes and phenotypes to populations, communities, and ecosystems. Therefore, the study of organism-environment interactions requires integrative approaches and model systems that are suitable for studies across different hierarchical levels. Here, we introduce the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus, a keystone species and an emerging invertebrate model system, as a prime candidate to address fundamental questions in ecology and evolution, and the interfaces therein. We review relevant fields of research that have used A. aquaticus and draft a set of specific scientific questions that can be answered using this species. Specifically, we propose that studies on A. aquaticus can help understanding (i) the influence of host-microbiome interactions on organismal and ecosystem function, (ii) the relevance of biotic interactions in ecosystem processes, and (iii) how ecological conditions and evolutionary forces facilitate phenotypic diversification.
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Westwick RR, Rittschof CC. Insects Provide Unique Systems to Investigate How Early-Life Experience Alters the Brain and Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:660464. [PMID: 33967715 PMCID: PMC8097038 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.660464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life experiences have strong and long-lasting consequences for behavior in a surprising diversity of animals. Determining which environmental inputs cause behavioral change, how this information becomes neurobiologically encoded, and the functional consequences of these changes remain fundamental puzzles relevant to diverse fields from evolutionary biology to the health sciences. Here we explore how insects provide unique opportunities for comparative study of developmental behavioral plasticity. Insects have sophisticated behavior and cognitive abilities, and they are frequently studied in their natural environments, which provides an ecological and adaptive perspective that is often more limited in lab-based vertebrate models. A range of cues, from relatively simple cues like temperature to complex social information, influence insect behavior. This variety provides experimentally tractable opportunities to study diverse neural plasticity mechanisms. Insects also have a wide range of neurodevelopmental trajectories while sharing many developmental plasticity mechanisms with vertebrates. In addition, some insects retain only subsets of their juvenile neuronal population in adulthood, narrowing the targets for detailed study of cellular plasticity mechanisms. Insects and vertebrates share many of the same knowledge gaps pertaining to developmental behavioral plasticity. Combined with the extensive study of insect behavior under natural conditions and their experimental tractability, insect systems may be uniquely qualified to address some of the biggest unanswered questions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R Westwick
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Clare C Rittschof
- Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
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Liedtke HC, Harney E, Gomez-Mestre I. Cross-species transcriptomics uncovers genes underlying genetic accommodation of developmental plasticity in spadefoot toads. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2220-2234. [PMID: 33730392 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
That hardcoded genomes can manifest as plastic phenotypes responding to environmental perturbations is a fascinating feature of living organisms. How such developmental plasticity is regulated at the molecular level is beginning to be uncovered aided by the development of -omic techniques. Here, we compare the transcriptome-wide responses of two species of spadefoot toads with differing capacity for developmental acceleration of their larvae in the face of a shared environmental risk: pond drying. By comparing gene expression profiles over time and performing cross-species network analyses, we identified orthologues and functional gene pathways whose environmental sensitivity in expression have diverged between species. Genes related to lipid, cholesterol and steroid biosynthesis and metabolism make up most of a module of genes environmentally responsive in one species, but canalized in the other. The evolutionary changes in the regulation of the genes identified through these analyses may have been key in the genetic accommodation of developmental plasticity in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Christoph Liedtke
- Ecology, Evolution and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Ewan Harney
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, Institute of Infection, Veterinary & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ivan Gomez-Mestre
- Ecology, Evolution and Development Group, Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
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Baedke J, Fábregas‐Tejeda A, Nieves Delgado A. The holobiont concept before Margulis. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2020; 334:149-155. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Baedke
- Department of Philosophy IRuhr University BochumBochum Germany
- Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary ResearchFriedrich‐Schiller‐UniversityJena Germany
| | - Alejandro Fábregas‐Tejeda
- Department of Philosophy IRuhr University BochumBochum Germany
- Institute of BiologyNational Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Circuito Exterior Ciudad Universitaria S/N Mexico City Mexico
| | - Abigail Nieves Delgado
- Department of Philosophy IRuhr University BochumBochum Germany
- Centre for Anthropological Knowledge in Scientific and Technological Cultures (CAST)Ruhr University BochumBochum Germany
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Solini GE, Pownall ME, Hillenbrand MJ, Tocheny CE, Paudel S, Halleran AD, Bianchi CH, Huyck RW, Saha MS. Xenopus embryos show a compensatory response following perturbation of the Notch signaling pathway. Dev Biol 2020; 460:99-107. [PMID: 31899211 PMCID: PMC7263880 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
As an essential feature of development, robustness ensures that embryos attain a consistent phenotype despite genetic and environmental variation. The growing number of examples demonstrating that embryos can mount a compensatory response to germline mutations in key developmental genes has heightened interest in the phenomenon of embryonic robustness. While considerable progress has been made in elucidating genetic compensation in response to germline mutations, the diversity, mechanisms, and limitations of embryonic robustness remain unclear. In this work, we have examined whether Xenopus laevis embryos are able to compensate for perturbations of the Notch signaling pathway induced by RNA injection constructs that either upregulate or inhibit this signaling pathway. Consistent with earlier studies, we found that at neurula stages, hyperactivation of the Notch pathway inhibited neural differentiation while inhibition of Notch signaling increases premature differentiation as assayed by neural beta tubulin expression. However, surprisingly, by hatching stages, embryos begin to compensate for these perturbations, and by swimming tadpole stages most embryos exhibited normal neuronal gene expression. Using cell proliferation and TUNEL assays, we show that the compensatory response is, in part, mediated by modulating levels of cell proliferation and apoptosis. This work provides an additional model for addressing the mechanisms of embryonic robustness and of genetic compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace E Solini
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Mark E Pownall
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Molly J Hillenbrand
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Claire E Tocheny
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Sudip Paudel
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Andrew D Halleran
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Catherine H Bianchi
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Ryan W Huyck
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA
| | - Margaret S Saha
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, USA.
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10
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Skúlason S, Parsons KJ, Svanbäck R, Räsänen K, Ferguson MM, Adams CE, Amundsen P, Bartels P, Bean CW, Boughman JW, Englund G, Guðbrandsson J, Hooker OE, Hudson AG, Kahilainen KK, Knudsen R, Kristjánsson BK, Leblanc CA, Jónsson Z, Öhlund G, Smith C, Snorrason SS. A way forward with eco evo devo: an extended theory of resource polymorphism with postglacial fishes as model systems. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:1786-1808. [PMID: 31215138 PMCID: PMC6852119 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A major goal of evolutionary science is to understand how biological diversity is generated and altered. Despite considerable advances, we still have limited insight into how phenotypic variation arises and is sorted by natural selection. Here we argue that an integrated view, which merges ecology, evolution and developmental biology (eco evo devo) on an equal footing, is needed to understand the multifaceted role of the environment in simultaneously determining the development of the phenotype and the nature of the selective environment, and how organisms in turn affect the environment through eco evo and eco devo feedbacks. To illustrate the usefulness of an integrated eco evo devo perspective, we connect it with the theory of resource polymorphism (i.e. the phenotypic and genetic diversification that occurs in response to variation in available resources). In so doing, we highlight fishes from recently glaciated freshwater systems as exceptionally well-suited model systems for testing predictions of an eco evo devo framework in studies of diversification. Studies on these fishes show that intraspecific diversity can evolve rapidly, and that this process is jointly facilitated by (i) the availability of diverse environments promoting divergent natural selection; (ii) dynamic developmental processes sensitive to environmental and genetic signals; and (iii) eco evo and eco devo feedbacks influencing the selective and developmental environments of the phenotype. We highlight empirical examples and present a conceptual model for the generation of resource polymorphism - emphasizing eco evo devo, and identify current gaps in knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skúli Skúlason
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish BiologyHólar UniversitySauðárkrókur, 551Iceland
- Icelandic Museum of Natural History, Brynjólfsgata 5ReykjavíkIS‐107Iceland
| | - Kevin J. Parsons
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgow, G12 8QQU.K.
| | - Richard Svanbäck
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Science for Life LaboratoryUppsala University, Norbyvägen 18DUppsala, SE‐752 36Sweden
| | - Katja Räsänen
- Department of Aquatic EcologyEAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, and Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH‐Zurich, Ueberlandstrasse 133CH‐8600DübendorfSwitzerland
| | - Moira M. Ferguson
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelph, Ontario N1G 2W1Canada
| | - Colin E. Adams
- Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, IBAHCMUniversity of GlasgowGlasgow G12 8QQU.K.
| | - Per‐Arne Amundsen
- Freshwater Ecology Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and EconomicsUniversity of TromsöTromsö, N‐9037Norway
| | - Pia Bartels
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Colin W. Bean
- Scottish Natural Heritage, Caspian House, Mariner Court, Clydebank Business ParkClydebank, G81 2NRU.K.
| | - Janette W. Boughman
- Department of Integrative BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI 48824U.S.A.
| | - Göran Englund
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Jóhannes Guðbrandsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of IcelandReykjavik, 101Iceland
| | | | - Alan G. Hudson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Kimmo K. Kahilainen
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstadvei 80Koppang, NO‐2480Norway
| | - Rune Knudsen
- Freshwater Ecology Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and EconomicsUniversity of TromsöTromsö, N‐9037Norway
| | | | - Camille A‐L. Leblanc
- Department of Aquaculture and Fish BiologyHólar UniversitySauðárkrókur, 551Iceland
| | - Zophonías Jónsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of IcelandReykjavik, 101Iceland
| | - Gunnar Öhlund
- Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeå, SE‐90187Sweden
| | - Carl Smith
- School of BiologyUniversity of St Andrews, St. AndrewsFife, KY16 9AJU.K.
| | - Sigurður S. Snorrason
- Institute of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of IcelandReykjavik, 101Iceland
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11
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Jackson ISC. Developmental bias in the fossil record. Evol Dev 2019; 22:88-102. [PMID: 31475437 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The role of developmental bias and plasticity in evolution is a central research interest in evolutionary biology. Studies of these concepts and related processes are usually conducted on extant systems and have seen limited investigation in the fossil record. Here, I identify plasticity-led evolution (PLE) as a form of developmental bias accessible through scrutiny of paleontological material. I summarize the process of PLE and describe it in terms of the environmentally mediated accumulation and release of cryptic genetic variation. Given this structure, I then predict its manifestation in the fossil record, discuss its similarity to quantum evolution and punctuated equilibrium, and argue that these describe macroevolutionary patterns concordant with PLE. Finally, I suggest methods and directions towards providing evidence of PLE in the fossil record and conclude that such endeavors are likely to be highly rewarding.
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12
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Hu Y, Linz DM, Parker ES, Schwab DB, Casasa S, Macagno ALM, Moczek AP. Developmental bias in horned dung beetles and its contributions to innovation, adaptation, and resilience. Evol Dev 2019; 22:165-180. [PMID: 31475451 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Developmental processes transduce diverse influences during phenotype formation, thereby biasing and structuring amount and type of phenotypic variation available for evolutionary processes to act on. The causes, extent, and consequences of this bias are subject to significant debate. Here we explore the role of developmental bias in contributing to organisms' ability to innovate, to adapt to novel or stressful conditions, and to generate well integrated, resilient phenotypes in the face of perturbations. We focus our inquiry on one taxon, the horned dung beetle genus Onthophagus, and review the role developmental bias might play across several levels of biological organization: (a) gene regulatory networks that pattern specific body regions; (b) plastic developmental mechanisms that coordinate body wide responses to changing environments and; (c) developmental symbioses and niche construction that enable organisms to build teams and to actively modify their own selective environments. We posit that across all these levels developmental bias shapes the way living systems innovate, adapt, and withstand stress, in ways that can alternately limit, bias, or facilitate developmental evolution. We conclude that the structuring contribution of developmental bias in evolution deserves further study to better understand why and how developmental evolution unfolds the way it does.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonggang Hu
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - David M Linz
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Erik S Parker
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Daniel B Schwab
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Sofia Casasa
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | | | - Armin P Moczek
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
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