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Developmental plasticity associated with early structural integration and evolutionary patterns: Examples of
1Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA.
Evolution & Development
|October 15, 2019
Summary
Developmental plasticity and evolutionary diversification are linked, but early organogenesis integration patterns influence this relationship. Highly integrated structures restrict evolution, while separate or integrating structures allow for greater variation and evolvability.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Evo-Devo
Background:
- The relationship between developmental plasticity and evolutionary diversification is central to evolutionary theory.
- Developmental bias, influenced by structural integration during early organogenesis, plays a crucial role in this relationship.
- The impact of structural integration on evolvability varies across different traits and taxa.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review scenarios of how structural integration during early organogenesis influences the relationship between developmental plasticity and evolutionary diversification.
- To explore how different patterns of structural integration modulate evolvability.
- To advance the understanding of evolvability by considering developmental integration levels.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature and theoretical frameworks.
- Analysis of case studies illustrating different structural integration scenarios in organogenesis.
- Comparative analysis of trait variation and plasticity under distinct integration patterns.
Main Results:
- Highly integrated structures during early organogenesis restrict both plasticity and evolutionary diversification (e.g., molar tooth rows, phalanges).
- Separate but similar developing condensations (e.g., tracheal cartilages, feather buds) exhibit variation in number but not shape/size.
- Integrating non-similar structures during patterning allows for high plasticity and novel, ecologically significant variation (e.g., rib uncinate processes, mammal teeth cusp offset).
Conclusions:
- Structural integration during early organogenesis significantly modulates evolvability.
- Understanding these developmental integration patterns is key to explaining evolutionary diversification.
- Focusing on early developmental integration, rather than later correlations, is crucial for advancing the study of phenotype evolvability.
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