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Serial Homology and Segment Identity in the Arthropod Head
Oren Lev1, Gregory D Edgecombe2, Ariel D Chipman1
1The Dept. of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior, The Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Integrative Organismal Biology (Oxford, England)
|May 27, 2022
Summary
The study redefines the arthropod head, proposing it evolved from a single ancestral segment that expanded and subdivided. This challenges the idea of serial homology for early arthropod segments.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary developmental biology
- Paleontology
- Arthropod biology
Background:
- The anterior-most part of arthropods, the pre-gnathal segments, form the brain.
- Recent research indicates these segments develop differently from posterior segments, questioning their serial homology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a new model for arthropod head evolution.
- To integrate developmental data with fossil evidence.
Main Methods:
- Comparative developmental analysis.
- Reinterpretation of fossil data from Radiodonta and Deuteropoda.
Main Results:
- The three pre-gnathal segments are not serial homologs.
- A novel scenario suggests an expanded ancestral head subdivided into three units.
Conclusions:
- Arthropod head evolution involved expansion and subdivision of a single ancestral segment.
- This model reconciles developmental and fossil evidence in early arthropod evolution.
