Search results for "evolutionary development"
showing 4 items of 14 documents
Combining ontogenetic and evolutionary scales of morphological disparity: a study of early Jurassic ammonites
2007
SUMMARY Two major research themes in Evolutionary Developmental Biology and in Paleobiology, respectively, have each become central for the analysis and interpretation of morphological changes in evolution: the study of ontogeny/ phylogeny connections, mainly within the widespread and controversial framework of heterochrony; and the study of morphological disparity, the morphological signal of biodiversity, describing secular changes in morphospace occupation during the history of any given clade. Although enriching in their respective fields, these two themes have remained rather isolated to date, despite the potential value of integrating them as some recent studies begin to suggest. Here…
Anatomical Network Analysis Shows Decoupling of Modular Lability and Complexity in the Evolution of the Primate Skull
2015
Modularity and complexity go hand in hand in the evolution of the skull of primates. Because analyses of these two parameters often use different approaches, we do not know yet how modularity evolves within, or as a consequence of, an also-evolving complex organization. Here we use a novel network theory-based approach (Anatomical Network Analysis) to assess how the organization of skull bones constrains the co-evolution of modularity and complexity among primates. We used the pattern of bone contacts modeled as networks to identify connectivity modules and quantify morphological complexity. We analyzed whether modularity and complexity evolved coordinately in the skull of primates. Specifi…
Supplementary data for: Improved camouflage through ontogenetic colour change confers reduced detection risk in shore crabs
2019
Many animals change appearance with age but the reasons why are rarely tested. Common shore crabs (Carcinus maenas), for example, are known for their ability to change colour over time. Young crabs show remarkable variation in coloration and it has been suggested that their variable appearance may help them to hide from predators in the habitats they use. However, as crabs grow they become more mobile and adult crabs, in contrast, are known to possess a more uniform coloration. This creates a problem: how to remain hidden in habitats that are variable and very different in appearance? To answer this, we first reared young shore crabs of two shades, pale or dark, on two background types rese…
Structural analysis of network models in tetrapod skulls : evolutionary trends and structural constraints in morphological complexity, integration an…
2013
Background Ever since classic anatomists like George Cuvier, Geoffroy St. Hilaire, or Richard Owen laid down the fundamental principles of comparative anatomy in the 19th century, connections among anatomical parts have been essential for the recognition of biological homologies. However, few studies have addressed the possibility of implementing an adequate methodological tool to use connections among parts to unveil problems in morphology; although Woodger, Rashevsky, Riedl, and, more recently, Rasskin-Gutman pointed in this direction. In the last decades Network Theory has been developed as a novel conceptual and methodological framework to deal with the relational properties that emerge…