Macroevolutionary developmental biology: Embryos, fossils, and phylogenies.
Title
Macroevolutionary developmental biology: Embryos, fossils, and phylogenies.
Creator
Organ Chris L; Cooper Lisa Noelle; Hieronymus Tobin L
Publisher
Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists
Date
2015
2015-10
Description
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.
Subject
*Embryo; *Fossils; *Phylogeny; Animals; Developmental Biology/*methods; embryos; evolutionary developmental biology; fossils; macroevolution; Models; Nonmammalian; phylogenetic comparative methods; Statistical; Vertebrates
Identifier
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Citation
Organ Chris L; Cooper Lisa Noelle; Hieronymus Tobin L, “Macroevolutionary developmental biology: Embryos, fossils, and phylogenies.,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed September 21, 2023, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/3000.