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The evolution and development of mammalian flight.
Lisa Noelle Cooper1, Chris J Cretekos, Karen E Sears
1Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Developmental Biology
|June 27, 2013
Summary
Evolutionary developmental studies reveal how bats evolved wings from limb precursors. Small changes in gene regulation during development can lead to significant evolutionary changes in animal form.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Comparative genomics
Background:
- Mammals exhibit diverse limb morphologies, with bats (Order Chiroptera) uniquely evolving wings for flight.
- The evolutionary transition from a non-flying ancestor to a winged bat remains poorly understood due to a lack of transitional fossils.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reconstruct the evolutionary transition of bat wings using an evolutionary developmental approach.
- To identify embryological and molecular changes underlying bat wing evolution.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of early limb development in bats and mice.
- Examination of gene expression patterns (Fgf, Shh, Bmp, Grem) during bat and mouse limb development.
- Investigating the role of gene regulation in interdigital tissue apoptosis.
Main Results:
- Bat and mouse forelimb development show initial similarities but diverge early in key signaling centers.
- Bats exhibit redeployed gene expression in novel domains during later limb development to inhibit apoptosis.
- Differences in gene regulation during organogenesis contribute to significant phenotypic evolution.
Conclusions:
- Developmental changes, particularly in gene regulation, were crucial for the evolution of the bat wing from a hand-like precursor.
- Evolutionary developmental studies offer insights into major evolutionary transitions in the absence of fossil evidence.
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