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A model for development and evolution of complex morphological structures.

W R Atchley1, B K Hall

  • 1Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7614.

Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
|May 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary
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This study presents a model for how complex structures like the mammalian mandible develop and evolve, focusing on variations in developmental units influenced by genetics and environment.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Morphology

Background:

  • Complex morphological structures, such as the mammalian craniomandibular region, present unresolved questions regarding their development and evolution.
  • Understanding these processes is crucial for fields ranging from evolutionary developmental biology to comparative anatomy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe a general model for the development and evolution of complex morphological structures.
  • To apply this model to the mammalian mandible as a case study.
  • To identify fundamental developmental units that underlie morphological variation.

Main Methods:

  • Examined the embryology of the mammalian mandible to identify key developmental units.
  • Proposed a model where natural selection acts on phenotypes generated by genetic and epigenetic factors.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analyzed how variations in cellular condensations (number of stem cells, timing, proliferation, death rates) influence mandibular morphology.

    • Main Results:

    • Identified five key developmental units influencing mandibular morphology: stem cell number (n), initiation time (t), mitotic fraction (f), division rate (r), and cell death rate (d).
    • Demonstrated that variation in these units provides the basis for ontogenetic and phylogenetic modifications.
    • Showed that these units are influenced by cell lineage, tissue interactions, differentiation regulation, and extrinsic factors.

    Conclusions:

    • The proposed model offers a framework for understanding the development and evolution of complex structures beyond the mandible.
    • Variations in these fundamental developmental units are heritable and subject to natural selection, driving morphological divergence.
    • The model is applicable to diverse biological systems, including cell parameters in Drosophila development.