Effects of substrate and phylogeny on quadrupedal gait in free‐ranging platyrrhines.
arboreal quadrupedalism; MAMMALS; locomotion; platyrrhine; PHYLOGENY; QUADRUPEDALISM; NEW World monkeys; phylogenetic eigenvector; COSTA Rica
Objectives: Primate diagonal sequence (DS) gaits are often argued to be an adaptation for moving and foraging in the fine‐branch niche; however, existing data have come predominantly from laboratory studies that are limited in taxonomic breadth and fail to account for the structural and ecological variation of natural substrates. We test the extent to which substrate diameter and orientation influence gait sequence type and limb phase in free‐ranging primates, as well as how phylogenetic relatedness might condition response patterns. Materials and methods: We filmed quadrupedal locomotion in 11 platyrrhine species at field sites in Ecuador and Costa Rica and measured the diameter and orientation of locomotor substrates using remote sensors. We quantified limb phase values and classified strides by gait sequence type (N = 988 strides). Results: Our results show that most of the species in our sample consistently used DS gaits, regardless of substrate diameter or orientation; however, all taxa also used asymmetrical and/or lateral sequence gaits. By incorporating phylogenetic eigenvectors into our models, we found significant differences in gait sequence patterns and limb phase values among the major platyrrhine clades, suggesting that phylogeny may be a better predictor of gait than substrate diameter or orientation. Discussion: Our field data generally corroborate locomotor patterns from laboratory studies but capture additional aspects of gait variability and flexibility in response to the complexity of natural environments. Overall, our results suggest that DS gaits are not exclusively tailored to narrow or oblique substrates but are used on arboreal substrates in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Dunham Noah T; McNamara Allison; Shapiro Liza J; Hieronymus Tobin L; Phelps Taylor; Young Jesse W
American Journal Of Physical Anthropology
2019
2019-12
Journal Article
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23942" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/ajpa.23942</a>
My branch is your branch: Talar morphology correlates with relative substrate size in platyrrhines at Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador
Adaptation; Allometry; Fibular facet angle; Functional morphology; Medial talotibial facet; Positional behavior
Given that most species of primates are predominantly arboreal, maintaining the ability to move among branches of varying sizes has presumably been a common selective force in primate evolution. However, empirical evaluations of the relationships between morphological variation and characteristics of substrate geometry, such as substrate diameter relative to an animal's body mass, have been limited by the lack of quantified substrate usage in the wild. Here we use recently published quantitative data to assess the relationships between relative substrate size and talar morphology in nine New World monkey species at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador. Within this sample, both fibular facet angle (the angle between the fibular facet and the trochlear rims) and body-mass-standardized area of the medial tibial facet decrease as average and maximum relative substrate size increases. Correlations between medial tibial facet area and relative substrate size are driven by the inclusion of callitrichids in this sample. Nevertheless, these findings strengthen the hypothesis that variation in fibular facet orientation and medial tibial facet area are functionally correlated with habitual degrees of pedal inversion. They also strengthen the notion that evolutionarily changing body mass could impact habitat geometry experienced by a lineage and thereby substantially impact major trends in primate morphological evolution. This study highlights the importance of empirical data on substrate use in living primates for inferring functional and evolutionary implications of morphological variation.
Boyer Doug M; Yapuncich Gabriel S; Dunham Noah T; McNamara Allison; Shapiro Liza J; Hieronymus Tobin L; Young Jesse W
Journal of Human Evolution
2019
2019-08
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.012" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.012</a>
First record of the Miocene hominoid Sivapithecus from Kutch, Gujarat state, western India.
Animals; India; Biological Evolution; Geology; *Archaeology; *Hominidae/anatomy & histology
Hominoid remains from Miocene deposits in India and Pakistan have played a pivotal role in understanding the evolution of great apes and humans since they were first described in the 19th Century. We describe here a hominoid maxillary fragment preserving the canine and cheek teeth collected in 2011 from the Kutch (= Kachchh) basin in the Kutch district, Gujarat state, western India. A basal Late Miocene age is proposed based on the associated faunal assemblage that includes Hipparion and other age-diagnostic mammalian taxa. Miocene Hominoidea are known previously from several areas of the Siwalik Group in the outer western Himalayas of India, Pakistan, and Nepal. This is the first record of a hominoid from the Neogene of the Kutch Basin and represents a significant southern range extension of Miocene hominoids in the Indian peninsula. The specimen is assigned to the Genus Sivapithecus, species unspecified.
Bhandari Ansuya; Kay Richard F; Williams Blythe A; Tiwari Brahma Nand; Bajpai Sunil; Hieronymus Tobin L
PloS one
2018
2018
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206314" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1371/journal.pone.0206314</a>
A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America.
Time Factors; Animals; Species Specificity; Fossils; Body Size; Skull/anatomy & histology; *Phylogeny; Geography; North America; *Paleobiogeography; *Paleogene; *Passeriformes; *Zygodactylidae; Extremities/anatomy & histology; Feathers/anatomy & histology; Passeriformes/*classification; Spine/anatomy & histology
BACKGROUND: The lake deposits of the informal Ruby Paper Shale unit, part of the Renova Formation of Montana, have yielded abundant plant fossils that document Late Eocene - Early Oligocene global cooling in western North America. A nearly complete small bird with feather impressions was recovered from this unit in in 1959, but has only been informally mentioned. RESULTS: Here we describe this fossil and identify it as a new species of Zygodactylus, a stem lineage passerine with a zygodactyl foot. The new taxon shows morphological traits that are convergent on crown Passeriformes, including an elongate hallux, reduced body size, and a comparative shortening of proximal limb elements. The fossil documents the persistence of this lineage into the earliest Oligocene (~ 33 Ma) in North America. It is the latest occurring North American species of a group that persists in Europe until the Miocene. CONCLUSIONS: Eocene-Oligocene global cooling is known to have significantly remodeled both Palearctic and Nearctic mammal faunas but its impact on related avifaunas has remained poorly understood. The geographic and temporal range expansion provided by the new taxon together with avian other taxa with limited fossil records suggests a similar pattern of retraction in North America followed by Europe.
Hieronymus Tobin L; Waugh David A; Clarke Julia A
BMC evolutionary biology
2019
2019-01
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-018-1319-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1186/s12862-018-1319-6</a>
Anatomy and Ontogeny of the Mandibular Symphysis in Alligator mississippiensis.
feeding apparatus; Meckel's cartilage; sutural ligament; trigeminal
Crocodylians evolved some of the most characteristic skulls of the animal kingdom with specializations for semiaquatic and ambush lifestyles, resulting in a feeding apparatus capable of tolerating high biomechanical loads and bite forces and a head with a derived sense of trigeminal-nerve-mediated touch. The mandibular symphysis accommodates these specializations being both at the end of a biomechanical lever and an antenna for sensation. Little is known about the anatomy of the crocodylian mandibular symphysis, hampering our understanding of form, function, and evolution of the joint in extant and extinct lineages. We explore mandibular symphysis anatomy of an ontogenetic series of Alligator mississippiensis using imaging, histology, and whole mount methods. Complex sutural ligaments emanating about a midline-fused Meckel's cartilage bridge the symphysis. These tissues organize during days 37-42 of in ovo development. However, interdigitations do not manifest until after hatching. These soft tissues leave a hub and spoke-like bony morphology of the symphyseal plate, which never fuses. Interdigitation morphology varies within the symphysis suggesting differential loading about the joint. Neurovascular canals extend throughout the mandibles to alveoli, integument, and bone adjacent to the symphysis. These features suggest the Alligator mandibular symphysis offers compliance in an otherwise rigid skull. We hypothesize a fused Meckel's cartilage offers stiffness in hatchling mandibles prior to the development of organized sutural ligaments and mineralized bone while offering a scaffold for somatic growth. The porosity of the dentaries due to neurovascular tissues likely allows transmission of sensory and proprioceptive information from the surroundings and the loaded symphysis. Anat Rec, 2019. (c) 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lessner Emily J; Gant Cortaiga A; Hieronymus Tobin L; Vickaryous Matthew K; Holliday Casey M
Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)
2019
2019-03
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24116" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/ar.24116</a>
The evolution of mammal-like crocodyliforms in the Cretaceous Period of Gondwana.
TANZANIA; ANIMAL classification; ANIMAL diversity; ANIMAL species; CRETACEOUS paleoecology; EVOLUTION (Biology); FOSSIL crocodylidae; TAXONOMY
Fossil crocodyliforms discovered in recent years have revealed a level of morphological and ecological diversity not exhibited by extant members of the group. This diversity is particularly notable among taxa of the Cretaceous Period (144–65 million years ago) recovered from former Gondwanan landmasses. Here we report the discovery of a new species of Cretaceous notosuchian crocodyliform from the Rukwa Rift Basin of southwestern Tanzania. This small-bodied form deviates significantly from more typical crocodyliform craniodental morphologies, having a short, broad skull, robust lower jaw, and a dentition with relatively few teeth that nonetheless show marked heterodonty. The presence of morphologically complex, complementary upper and lower molariform teeth suggests a degree of crown–crown contact during jaw adduction that is unmatched among known crocodyliforms, paralleling the level of occlusal complexity seen in mammals and their extinct relatives. The presence of another small-bodied mammal-like crocodyliform in the Cretaceous of Gondwana indicates that notosuchians probably filled niches and inhabited ecomorphospace that were otherwise occupied by mammals on northern continents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
O'Connor Patrick M; Sertich Joseph J W; Stevens Nancy J; Roberts Eric M; Gottfried Michael D; Hieronymus Tobin L; Jinnah Zubair A; Ridgely Ryan; Ngasala Sifa E; Temba Jesuit
Nature
2010
2010-08-05
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/nature09061" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1038/nature09061</a>
Palaeontological evidence for an Oligocene divergence between Old World monkeys and apes.
AFRICA; APES; BIOTIC communities; CERCOPITHECIDAE; OLIGOCENE Epoch; PALEONTOLOGY; TANZANIA
Apes and Old World monkeys are prominent components of modern African and Asian ecosystems, yet the earliest phases of their evolutionary history have remained largely undocumented. The absence of crown catarrhine fossils older than ∼20 million years (Myr) has stood in stark contrast to molecular divergence estimates of ∼25-30 Myr for the split between Cercopithecoidea (Old World monkeys) and Hominoidea (apes), implying long ghost lineages for both clades. Here we describe the oldest known fossil 'ape', represented by a partial mandible preserving dental features that place it with 'nyanzapithecine' stem hominoids. Additionally, we report the oldest stem member of the Old World monkey clade, represented by a lower third molar. Both specimens were recovered from a precisely dated 25.2-Myr-old stratum in the Rukwa Rift, a segment of the western branch of the East African Rift in Tanzania. These finds extend the fossil record of apes and Old World monkeys well into the Oligocene epoch of Africa, suggesting a possible link between diversification of crown catarrhines and changes in the African landscape brought about by previously unrecognized tectonic activity in the East African rift system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Stevens Nancy J; Seiffert Erik R; O'Connor Patrick M; Roberts Eric M; Schmitz Mark D; Krause Cornelia; Gorscak Eric; Ngasala Sifa; Hieronymus Tobin L; Temu Joseph
Nature
2013
2013-05-30
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/nature12161" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1038/nature12161</a>
A comparison of postnatal arterial patterns in a growth series of giraffe (Artiodactyla: Giraffa camelopardalis).
Anatomical imaging; Arterial development; Artiodactyla; Carotid rete; CT scan; Giraffa camelopardalis; Ontogeny; Ruminant
Nearly all living artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) possess a derived cranial arterial pattern that is highly distinctive from most other mammals. Foremost among a suite of atypical arterial configurations is the functional and anatomical replacement of the internal carotid artery with an extensive, subdural arterial meshwork called the carotid rete. This interdigitating network branches from the maxillary artery and is housed within the cavernous venous sinus. As the cavernous sinus receives cooled blood draining from the nasal mucosa, heat rapidly dissipates across the high surface area of the rete to be carried away from the brain by the venous system. This combination yields one of the most effective mechanisms of selective brain cooling. Although arterial development begins from the same embryonic scaffolding typical of mammals, possession of a rete is typically accompanied by obliteration of the internal carotid artery. Among taxa with available ontogenetic data, the point at which the internal carotid obliterates is variable throughout development. In small-bodied artiodactyls, the internal carotid typically obliterates prior to parturition, but in larger species, the vessel may remain patent for several years. In this study, we use digital anatomical data collection methods to describe the cranial arterial patterns for a growth series of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), from parturition to senescence. Giraffes, in particular, have unique cardiovascular demands and adaptations owing to their exceptional body form and may not adhere to previously documented stages of cranial arterial development. We find the carotid arterial system to be conserved between developmental stages and that obliteration of the giraffe internal carotid artery occurs prior to parturition.
O'Brien Haley D; Gignac Paul M; Hieronymus Tobin L; Witmer Lawrence M
PeerJ
2016
1905-07
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1696" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.7717/peerj.1696</a>
A new zygodactylid species indicates the persistence of stem passerines into the early Oligocene in North America.
Paleobiogeography; Paleogene; Passeriformes; Zygodactylidae
BACKGROUND: The lake deposits of the informal Ruby Paper Shale unit, part of the Renova Formation of Montana, have yielded abundant plant fossils that document Late Eocene - Early Oligocene global cooling in western North America. A nearly complete small bird with feather impressions was recovered from this unit in in 1959, but has only been informally mentioned. RESULTS: Here we describe this fossil and identify it as a new species of Zygodactylus, a stem lineage passerine with a zygodactyl foot. The new taxon shows morphological traits that are convergent on crown Passeriformes, including an elongate hallux, reduced body size, and a comparative shortening of proximal limb elements. The fossil documents the persistence of this lineage into the earliest Oligocene (\textasciitilde 33 Ma) in North America. It is the latest occurring North American species of a group that persists in Europe until the Miocene. CONCLUSIONS: Eocene-Oligocene global cooling is known to have significantly remodeled both Palearctic and Nearctic mammal faunas but its impact on related avifaunas has remained poorly understood. The geographic and temporal range expansion provided by the new taxon together with avian other taxa with limited fossil records suggests a similar pattern of retraction in North America followed by Europe.
Hieronymus Tobin L; Waugh David A; Clarke Julia A
BMC evolutionary biology
2019
2019-01
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-018-1319-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1186/s12862-018-1319-6</a>
Qualitative skeletal correlates of wing shape in extant birds (Aves: Neoaves).
*Flight; Animal; Animal/*anatomy & histology/physiology; Animals; Biological Evolution; Birds/*anatomy & histology/classification/*physiology; Bone and Bones/anatomy & histology; Feathers; Fossils; Phylogeny; Wings
BACKGROUND: Among living fliers (birds, bats, and insects), birds display relatively high aspect ratios, a dimensionless shape variable that distinguishes long and narrow vs. short and broad wings. Increasing aspect ratio results in a functional tradeoff between low induced drag (efficient cruise) and increased wing inertia (difficult takeoff). Given the wide scope of its functional effects, the pattern of aspect ratio evolution is an important factor that contributes to the substantial ecological and phylogenetic diversity of living birds. However, because the feathers that define the wingtip (and hence wingspan and aspect ratio) often do not fossilize, resolution in the pattern of avian wing shape evolution is obscured by missing information. Here I use a comparative approach to investigate the relationship between skeletal proxies of flight feather attachment and wing shape. RESULTS: An accessory lobe of the internal index process of digit II-1, a bony correlate of distal primary attachment, shows weak but statistically significant relationships to aspect ratio and mass independent of other skeletal morphology. The dorsal phalangeal fossae of digit II-1, which house distal primaries VIII and IX, also show a trend of increased prominence with higher aspect ratio. Quill knobs on the ulna are examined concurrently, but do not show consistent signal with respect to wing shape. CONCLUSIONS: Although quill knobs are cited as skeletal correlates of flight performance in birds, their relationship to wing shape is inconsistent among extant taxa, and may reflect diverging selection pressures acting on a conserved architecture. In contrast, correlates of distal primary feather attachment on the major digit show convergent responses to increasing aspect ratio. In light of the diversity of musculoskeletal and integumentary mophology that underlies wing shape in different avian clades, it is unlikely that a single skeletal feature will show consistent predictive power across Neoaves. Confident inference of wing shape in basal ornithurine birds will require multiple lines of evidence, together with an understanding of clade-specific evolutionary trends within the crown.
Hieronymus Tobin L
BMC evolutionary biology
2015
2015-02
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-015-0303-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1186/s12862-015-0303-7</a>
Evolutionary aspects of the development of teeth and baleen in the bowhead whale.
*Biological Evolution; Animals; baleen; baleen whales; bowhead whale; Bowhead Whale/anatomy & histology/*embryology; Cetacea; Dentition; embryology; Female; FGF; Jaw/anatomy & histology/embryology; keratin; Mixed; Mouth/anatomy & histology/*embryology; mysticetes; ontogeny; Pregnancy; tooth development; Tooth/anatomy & histology/*embryology
In utero, baleen whales initiate the development of several dozens of teeth in upper and lower jaws. These tooth germs reach the bell stage and are sometimes mineralized, but toward the end of prenatal life they are resorbed and no trace remains after birth. Around the time that the germs disappear, the keratinous baleen plates start to form in the upper jaw, and these form the food-collecting mechanism. Baleen whale ancestors had two generations of teeth and never developed baleen, and the prenatal teeth of modern fetuses are usually interpreted as an evolutionary leftover. We investigated the development of teeth and baleen in bowhead whale fetuses using histological and immunohistochemical evidence. We found that upper and lower dentition initially follow similar developmental pathways. As development proceeds, upper and lower tooth germs diverge developmentally. Lower tooth germs differ along the length of the jaw, reminiscent of a heterodont dentition of cetacean ancestors, and lingual processes of the dental lamina represent initiation of tooth bud formation of replacement teeth. Upper tooth germs remain homodont and there is no evidence of a secondary dentition. After these germs disappear, the oral epithelium thickens to form the baleen plates, and the protein FGF-4 displays a signaling pattern reminiscent of baleen plates. In laboratory mammals, FGF-4 is not involved in the formation of hair or palatal rugae, but it is involved in tooth development. This leads us to propose that the signaling cascade that forms teeth in most mammals has been exapted to be involved in baleen plate ontogeny in mysticetes.
Thewissen J G M; Hieronymus Tobin L; George John C; Suydam Robert; Stimmelmayr Raphaela; McBurney Denise
Journal of anatomy
2017
2017-04
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12579" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1111/joa.12579</a>
Flight feather attachment in rock pigeons (Columba livia): covert feathers and smooth muscle coordinate a morphing wing.
*avian; *covert feathers; *flight feathers; *quill knobs; *smooth muscle; *wing shape; Animal/*anatomy & histology; Animal/*physiology; Animals; Bone and Bones/anatomy & histology; Columbidae/*anatomy & histology; Feathers/*anatomy & histology; Flight; Muscle; Smooth/*anatomy & histology; Wings; X-Ray Microtomography
Mechanisms for passively coordinating forelimb movements and flight feather abduction and adduction have been described separately from both in vivo and ex vivo studies. Skeletal coordination has been identified as a way for birds to simplify the neuromotor task of controlling flight stroke, but an understanding of the relationship between skeletal coordination and the coordination of the aerodynamic control surface (the flight feathers) has been slow to materialize. This break between the biomechanical and aerodynamic approaches - between skeletal kinematics and airfoil shape - has hindered the study of dynamic flight behaviors. Here I use dissection and histology to identify previously overlooked interconnections between musculoskeletal elements and flight feathers. Many of these structures are well-placed to directly link elements of the passive musculoskeletal coordination system with flight feather movements. Small bundles of smooth muscle form prominent connections between upper forearm coverts (deck feathers) and the ulna, as well as the majority of interconnections between major flight feathers of the hand. Abundant smooth muscle may play a role in efficient maintenance of folded wing posture, and may also provide an autonomically regulated means of tuning wing shape and aeroelastic behavior in flight. The pattern of muscular and ligamentous linkages of flight feathers to underlying muscle and bone may provide predictable passive guidance for the shape of the airfoil during flight stroke. The structures described here provide an anatomical touchstone for in vivo experimental tests of wing surface coordination in an extensively researched avian model species.
Hieronymus Tobin L
Journal of anatomy
2016
2016-11
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12511" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1111/joa.12511</a>
Aquatic Habits of Cetacean Ancestors: Integrating Bone Microanatomy and Stable Isotopes.
*Ecosystem; Animals; Bone and Bones/anatomy & histology/metabolism; Cetacea/*physiology; Isotope Labeling; Isotopes/metabolism
The earliest cetaceans were interpreted as semi-aquatic based on the presence of thickened bones and stable oxygen isotopes in tooth enamel. However, the origin of aquatic behaviors in cetacean relatives (e.g., raoellids, anthracotheres) remains unclear. This study reconstructs the origins of aquatic behaviors based on long bone microanatomy and stable oxygen isotopes of tooth enamel in modern and extinct cetartiodactylans. Our findings are congruent with published accounts that microanatomy can be a reliable indicator of aquatic behaviors in taxa that are obligatorily aquatic, and also highlight that some "semi-aquatic" behaviors (fleeing into the water to escape predation) may have a stronger relationship to bone microanatomy than others (herbivory in near-shore aquatic settings). Bone microanatomy is best considered with other lines of information in the land-to-sea transition of cetaceans, such as stable isotopes. This study extends our understanding of the progression of skeletal phenotypes associated with habitat shifts in the relatives of cetaceans.
Cooper Lisa Noelle; Clementz Mark T; Usip Sharon; Bajpai Sunil; Hussain S Taseer; Hieronymus Tobin L
Integrative and comparative biology
2016
2016-12
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icw119" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1093/icb/icw119</a>
Macroevolutionary developmental biology: Embryos, fossils, and phylogenies.
*Embryo; *Fossils; *Phylogeny; Animals; Developmental Biology/*methods; embryos; evolutionary developmental biology; fossils; macroevolution; Models; Nonmammalian; phylogenetic comparative methods; Statistical; Vertebrates
The field of evolutionary developmental biology is broadly focused on identifying the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying morphological diversity. Connecting the genotype with the phenotype means that evo-devo research often considers a wide range of evidence, from genetics and morphology to fossils. In this commentary, we provide an overview and framework for integrating fossil ontogenetic data with developmental data using phylogenetic comparative methods to test macroevolutionary hypotheses. We survey the vertebrate fossil record of preserved embryos and discuss how phylogenetic comparative methods can integrate data from developmental genetics and paleontology. Fossil embryos provide limited, yet critical, developmental data from deep time. They help constrain when developmental innovations first appeared during the history of life and also reveal the order in which related morphologies evolved. Phylogenetic comparative methods provide a powerful statistical approach that allows evo-devo researchers to infer the presence of nonpreserved developmental traits in fossil species and to detect discordant evolutionary patterns and processes across levels of biological organization.
Organ Chris L; Cooper Lisa Noelle; Hieronymus Tobin L
Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists
2015
2015-10
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/dvdy.24318" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/dvdy.24318</a>