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The ontogeny of developmental buffering in lizard head shape.
Marko M Lazić1, Dennis Rödder1, Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou2
1Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany.
Evolution & Development
|September 20, 2017
Summary
Developmental stability (DS) and canalization influence phenotypic variation. Lizard head shape asymmetry and variation were analyzed across growth, revealing complex patterns suggesting shared mechanisms for buffering and variance generation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary developmental biology
- Quantitative genetics
- Herpetology
Background:
- Canalization and developmental stability (DS) are crucial for regulating phenotypic variation during development.
- Understanding ontogenetic changes in phenotypic variance components offers insights into developmental buffering (DB) mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and among-individual variation in head shape change during ontogeny in three lizard species.
- To explore the relationship between size, age, and developmental stability in laboratory-raised lizards.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of head shape variation in ontogenetic series of three lizard species under laboratory conditions.
- Quantification of individual fluctuating asymmetry and among-individual variance components across size and age.
Main Results:
- Fluctuating asymmetry showed a slight increase with size, suggesting potential limitations in developmental buffering efficiency at larger sizes.
- The relationship between asymmetry and age varied among species, indicating species-specific differences in developmental buffering.
- Head shape exhibited consistent canalization across ontogeny, likely due to a balance between buffering and variance-generating mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Developmental stability and canalization may depend on similar underlying mechanisms, as indicated by correlated patterns of symmetric and asymmetric variation.
- Ontogenetic patterns of asymmetry and canalization are influenced by intrinsic species differences and species-specific growth trajectories.
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