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Updated: May 22, 2026
04:52
Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
Morphogenetic origin of natural variation.
Vladimir G Cherdantsev1, Victoria A Scobeyeva
1Department of Biological Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119234, Russia. arnosnew@mail.ru
Bio Systems
|May 15, 2012
Summary
Gastrulation movements in amphibians are driven by self-oscillations, not linear stages. This developmental process influences evolution by becoming a driving force for novel biological structures.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Amphibian Gastrulation Dynamics
Background:
- Gastrulation is a fundamental developmental process involving significant cell rearrangement.
- Understanding normal variation in gastrulation is key to comprehending developmental plasticity and evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamics of normal variation in amphibian gastrulation movements.
- To elucidate the underlying mechanisms driving gastrulation geometry and its variability.
- To explore the relationship between morphogenesis and evolutionary novelty.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of developmental dynamics in two related amphibian species.
- Mathematical modeling of gastrulation movements and spatial variance.
- Comparison of between- and within-individual variation in gastrulation.
Main Results:
- Gastrulation is characterized by self-oscillations rather than a linear progression of stages.
- The geometry of cell movements directly influences these morphogenetic oscillations.
- Variability in morphogenesis arises from the same principles as morphogenesis itself.
- These oscillations share mathematical similarities with natural selection, favoring variance minimization.
Conclusions:
- Morphogenesis, driven by self-oscillations, acts as a primary force in directional evolution.
- Developmental variation influences the evolutionary trajectory by shaping character selection.
- This mechanism provides a pathway for the origin of evolutionary novelties in biological structures.
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