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Assessing Species-specific Contributions To Craniofacial Development Using Quail-duck Chimeras

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Published on: May 31, 2014

General and craniofacial development are complex adaptive processes influenced by diversity.

A H Brook¹, M Brook O'Donnell, A Hone

¹School of Dentistry, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom.

Australian Dental Journal

|March 13, 2014

Summary

Complex adaptive systems, characterized by diversity and emergence, are crucial in biological development. Tooth development exemplifies these systems, offering insights into craniofacial growth and oral health care delivery.

Keywords:

Complex systems dental development networks

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Area of Science:

Complex systems science
Developmental biology
Dental research

Background:

Complex adaptive systems (CAS) are dynamic processes where lower-level interactions yield higher-level emergent phenomena.
Diversity is key to CAS robustness, enabling varied responses to stimuli and facilitating major changes.
Biological development, including dentition, serves as a model for studying CAS.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of complex adaptive systems in craniofacial and general development using dentition as a model.
To explore how complexity theory applies to tooth development and its implications for dental research and practice.

Main Methods:

Analysis of dental development as a model system exhibiting CAS characteristics.
Examination of network models (Random Network, Threshold Model, Scale Free Network) and their compatibility with dental findings.
Investigation of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental interactions forming complex networks during development.

Main Results:

Tooth development demonstrates CAS features: self-organization, emergence, adaptation, variation, tipping points, and robustness.
Dental findings align with various network models, including Scale Free Networks with Power Law distribution.
Interactions between genes form hierarchical networks, exhibiting Small World phenomena and Subgraph Motifs.

Conclusions:

Complexity theory provides a framework for understanding variations in phenotypes from identical genotypes.
Understanding CAS in development can explain phenotypic variations due to perturbations in cellular systems and networks.
Applying complexity theory promises significant advances in dental research, education, and oral health care delivery.