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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Foraging Path-length Protocol for Drosophila melanogaster Larvae

Foraging Path-length Protocol for Drosophila melanogaster Larvae

Published on: April 23, 2016

Developmental plasticity links local adaptation and evolutionary diversification in foraging morphology.

Rebecca L Young¹, Alexander V Badyaev

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. rebecca.youngbrim@yale.edu

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution

|August 12, 2010

Summary

Developmental plasticity in shrew mandibular morphology allows for local adaptation and evolutionary diversification. Muscle activity influences late-maturing bone development, driving foraging adaptations and divergence across species.

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Published on: October 1, 2011

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Developmental biology
Morphological evolution

Background:

Developmental plasticity is crucial for reconciling local adaptation with evolutionary diversification, yet empirical evidence is scarce.
Bone development in vertebrates, particularly the skull, is influenced by muscle activity, which evolves from embryonic motility to functional effects.
Delayed skull maturation in species with short generation times offers a window to study the links between plasticity, ecological adaptation, and foraging morphology evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of epigenetic regulation in Soricid shrews' mandibular morphology.
To examine how muscle stimulation affects early- vs. late-maturing mandibular components.
To determine if functional requirements drive adaptive divergence in foraging morphology.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of early- vs. late-maturing mandibular components in Soricid shrews.
Contrasting the effects of muscle stimulation on bone development.
Analyzing the influence of muscle loading and bite force on mandibular morphology.

Main Results:

Late-maturing mandibular components are more sensitive to functional requirements than early-ossifying traits.
Divergence in foraging morphology across shrew species aligns with muscle loading and bite force effects on late-maturing mandible parts.
Epigenetic regulation of bone growth facilitates local adaptation and evolutionary divergence in mandibular form.

Conclusions:

Developmental plasticity, particularly in late-maturing mandibular structures, can link the maintenance of local adaptations with evolutionary diversification.
Functional requirements, mediated by muscle activity and bite force, play a significant role in shaping foraging morphology.
This study provides empirical support for the hypothesis that developmental plasticity facilitates evolutionary diversification in vertebrates.