Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025
04:37
Reproductive Techniques for Ovarian Monitoring and Control in Amphibians
Published on: May 12, 2019
16.0K
Repeated ecological and life cycle transitions make salamanders an ideal model for evolution and development
Ronald M Bonett1, Nicholus M Ledbetter1, Alexander J Hess1
1Department of Biological Science, The University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
Summary
Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) in salamanders shows how changes in development drive animal form evolution. Their diverse life cycles and habitats demonstrate significant phenotypic diversification.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Herpetology
Background:
- Salamanders were early models for understanding how developmental shifts influence evolutionary diversification.
- Advances in evo-devo, phylogenetics, and eco-evo-devo provide new insights into salamander evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the ecological and endocrine drivers of salamander life cycle transitions.
- To explore the consequences of these transitions on phenotypic diversification.
Main Methods:
- Molecular phylogenetic analyses to reconstruct the Salamander Tree of Life.
- Ancestral state reconstructions to infer life cycle and ecological transitions.
- Review of fossil record and comparative studies on phenotypic traits.
Main Results:
- Strong phylogenetic support for most salamander lineages, with 764 species described.
- Repeated transitions between different life cycle modes and ecological niches observed.
- Phenotypic diversification, including convergent evolution, driven by habitat colonization.
Conclusions:
- Developmental plasticity and evolution are key to salamander diversification.
- Life cycle transitions impact body size, genome size, and skeletal structure.
- Salamanders serve as a model for studying how developmental evolution shapes adaptation to new environments.
Related Concept Videos
01:07Speciation Rates
21.9K
Overview
21.9K
00:51Energy Budgets
10.0K
Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species, like annual plants, have only one reproductive episode in their lifetimes and consequently have short lifespans. Iteroparous species, by contrast, have many reproductive events during their lifetimes but have relatively few offspring. These two...
10.0K
02:35What is Evolutionary History?
41.2K
Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.
41.2K
01:29Life Histories
21.7K
Overview
21.7K
02:55The Evidence for Evolution
45.5K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
45.5K
02:19Morphogenesis
29.2K
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
29.2K