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Phyletic patterns of early development in gastropod molluscs
David R Lindberg1, Robert P Guralnick
1Department of Integrative Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. drl@uclink.berkeley.edu
Evolution & Development
|September 3, 2003
Summary
Gastropod cell lineages reveal evolutionary history, showing conserved developmental signals over 500 million years. This data aids in understanding gastropod phylogeny and evolutionary trends.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Phylogenetics
Background:
- Gastropod phylogeny is complex, with early development offering potential insights.
- Cell lineage data provides a unique perspective on evolutionary relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze phylogenetic signal within gastropod cell lineage data.
- To compare cell lineage data with fossil records and molecular data for gastropod evolution.
Main Methods:
- Cladistic analysis of cell lineage data from 30 gastropod taxa and Polyplacophora.
- Phylogenetic analyses using PAUP under different character ordering assumptions (ordered, Dollo, unordered).
Main Results:
- Cell lineage variation (acceleration/retardation) is phylogenetically informative.
- Cladograms derived from cell lineage data align with the fossil record of gastropod diversification.
- A significant evolutionary split correlates with marine eutrophication and potential developmental shifts.
Conclusions:
- Early gastropod development retains a strong phylogenetic signal over approximately 500 million years.
- Cell lineage data is a valuable tool for reconstructing gastropod evolutionary history.
- Developmental rate characters, while ordered, are subject to homoplasy, similar to other character types.