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Related Concept Videos

Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age01:09

Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age

The upper and lower limb initially develops as a small bulge called a limb bud, which appears on the lateral side of the early embryo. The upper limb bud appears near the end of the fourth week of development, with the lower limb bud appearing shortly after.
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Intramembranous ossification is one of the two processes involved in the development of bones within an embryo. The flat bones of the face, most of the cranial bones, and the clavicles are formed via this process. During intramembranous ossification, the bones develop directly from sheets of undifferentiated mesenchymal connective tissue.
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Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification

Bone formation, or ossification, begins around the sixth to seventh week of embryonic development. Most bones develop from a cartilaginous template through the process of endochondral ossification. Cartilage formation begins when clusters of mesenchymal cells differentiate into chondrocytes. These chondrocytes proliferate rapidly and secrete an extracellular matrix that becomes encased in a membrane called the perichondrium. The resulting cartilage model provides a template that resembles the...
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Generation of Chimeric Axolotls with Mutant Haploid Limbs Through Embryonic Grafting
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Ossification sequence heterochrony among amphibians.

Sean M Harrington1, Luke B Harrison, Christopher A Sheil

  • 1Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, 44118, USA.

Evolution & Development
|October 1, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Heterochrony, changes in developmental timing, is key to amphibian evolution. This study reveals shifts in skeletal ossification sequences across amphibian orders, linking these changes to metamorphic patterns.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary developmental biology
  • Comparative osteology
  • Phylogenetics

Background:

  • Heterochrony, a significant driver of amphibian evolution, has been primarily studied in relation to size, shape, and developmental rates.
  • Ossification sequence heterochrony, the altered timing of skeletal element development, is an understudied but potentially crucial evolutionary mechanism in amphibians.
  • Phylogenetic methods for analyzing sequence heterochrony are recent, necessitating comprehensive studies across amphibian diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate ossification sequence heterochrony across all extant amphibian orders using phylogenetic methods.
  • To identify specific shifts in skeletal ossification timing and their correlation with metamorphic patterns.
  • To explore the evolutionary implications of these heterochronic shifts in amphibian skeletal development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a new version of the Parsimov-based genetic inference (PGi) program for phylogenetic analysis.
  • Analyzed the relative timing of ossification for major skeletal units across all extant amphibian orders.
  • Applied rigorous phylogenetic methods to identify heterochronic sequence shifts.

Main Results:

  • PGi identified numerous heterochronic sequence shifts in ossification timing across amphibian orders.
  • Significant shifts were observed, particularly linked to diverse metamorphic patterns among major amphibian clades.
  • Early ossification of cranial bones (vomer, premaxilla, dentary) is conserved in Gymnophiona and Urodela, contrasting with Anura's jaw/face bone sequence shifts.

Conclusions:

  • Ossification sequence heterochrony is a prevalent evolutionary mechanism in amphibians, closely tied to metamorphic strategies.
  • The evolutionary trajectory of Anura involves a late shift in jaw and facial bone ossification, with skull regions undergoing less transformation ossifying earliest.
  • Early ossification of hind limb and pelvic girdle bones in Anura may reflect functional constraints during metamorphosis.