Evolution & Development最新文献

{"title":"Impact of Life History on Hippopotamus Skull Ontogeny","authors":"Darío Fidalgo,&nbsp;Faysal Bibi,&nbsp;Luca Pandolfi,&nbsp;Jean-Renaud Boisserie,&nbsp;Roberta Martino,&nbsp;Kheloud El Eshraky,&nbsp;Carlos A. Palancar,&nbsp;Joan Madurell-Malapeira,&nbsp;Antonio Rosas","doi":"10.1111/ede.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The biological processes underlying the wide phenotypic mammal diversity are still not thoroughly understood. In this study, we examined how major stages in the life history of the common hippopotamus (<i>Hippopotamus Amphibius</i>) influence its craniomandibular morphology throughout ontogeny. Using geometric morphometrics and life-history meta-analysis correlations, we characterized skulls from 198 individuals spanning 20 developmental stages. The most significant morphological changes were observed during early infancy (0–3 years), coinciding with lactation and weaning, and during puberty (10–15 years), coinciding with reproductive maturation. These findings align with growth patterns typical of social mammals exhibiting high sexual dimorphism. Notably, we identified a pattern previously undocumented in any other vertebrate: cranial morphology stabilizes earlier than the mandibular one. Specifically, late-stage (20–25 years) shape modification in the mandibles indicates progressive reconfiguration of masticatory biomechanics as well as a continuous change of dental occlusion throughout life. This pattern is common in both male and female individuals and may be related to shifts in diet rather than sexual selection. This study provides the most comprehensive ontogenetic dataset for a semi-aquatic, large semigraviportal mammal with a polygynous social structure, offering a valuable foundation for future evolutionary studies based on comparative analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ede.70013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144688052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Body Size and Fitness Match and Its Variability in Plastic Response to Temperature","authors":"Antoni Żygadło,&nbsp;Agata Burzawa,&nbsp;Katarzyna Potera,&nbsp;Franek Sierpowski,&nbsp;Aleksandra Walczyńska","doi":"10.1111/ede.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The evolution of the plastic response of organisms to environmental change remains one of the most challenging areas of biological research. Reasons for this include the complex nature of environmental cues and organismal responses, the energetic costs behind phenotypic plasticity performed under different conditions, and the individual capacity to respond, which depends on many developmental factors. A special case is the plastic body size response to temperature, the temperature-size rule (TSR). We used eight experimental populations of the rotifer <i>Lecane inermis</i> and measured body size and population growth rate <i>r</i> over a wide thermal range to investigate (i) the thermal conditions under which rotifers perform the TSR or canalize their body size (= no plasticity) and how this relates to fitness, and (ii) whether this response varies with organismal thermal preferences. We found a relationship between body size and fitness, confirming that the TSR is only performed within a certain thermal range, beyond which body size is canalized. We did not find the expected relationship between the strength of the TSR and the range of thermal tolerance, but our results do not allow us to reject the existence of such a relationship. Furthermore, we found a high repeatability of the parameters informing thermal tolerance compared to previous studies, reflecting a substantial degree of developmental constancy in the context of the organism's preference for temperature. We describe the special case of plasticity versus canalization for body size response to optimal and suboptimal temperatures in organisms that differ in their thermal tolerance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144589913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The rx3 Gene Contributes to the Evolution of Eye Loss in the Cavefish Astyanax mexicanus","authors":"Devin Shennard,&nbsp;Itzel Sifuentes-Romero,&nbsp;Rianna Ambosie,&nbsp;Jennah Abdelaziz,&nbsp;Erik R. Duboue,&nbsp;Johanna E. Kowalko","doi":"10.1111/ede.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Uncovering mechanisms by which sensory systems evolve is critical for understanding how organisms adapt to a novel environment. <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i> is a species of fish with populations of surface fish, which inhabit rivers and streams, and cavefish, which have adapted to life within caves. Cavefish have evolved sensory system changes relative to their surface fish counterparts, providing an opportunity to investigate mechanisms underlying sensory system evolution. Here, we report the role of the gene <i>retinal homeobox 3</i> (<i>rx3</i>) in cavefish eye evolution. We generated surface fish with putative loss-of-function mutations in the <i>rx3</i> gene using CRISPR-Cas9 to determine the role of this gene in eye development in this species. These <i>rx3</i> mutant surface fish fail to develop eyes, demonstrating that <i>rx3</i> is required for surface fish eye development. Further, <i>rx3</i> mutant surface fish exhibit altered behaviors relative to wild-type surface fish, suggesting that the loss of eyes impacts sensory-dependent behaviors. Finally, eye development is altered in cave-surface hybrid fish that inherit the mutant allele of <i>rx3</i> from surface fish relative to siblings that inherit a wild-type surface fish <i>rx3</i> allele, suggesting that cis-regulatory variation at the <i>rx3</i> locus contributes to eye size evolution in cavefish. Together, these findings demonstrate that, as in other species, <i>rx3</i> is required for eye development in <i>A. mexicanus</i>. Moreover, they suggest that variation at the <i>rx3</i> locus plays a role in the evolved reduction of eye size in cavefish, shedding light on the genetic mechanisms underlying sensory system evolution in response to extreme environmental changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ede.70011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144514618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Monopodial and Sympodial Growth Modes in the Colonial Graptolithina (Hemichordata, Pterobranchia)","authors":"Jörg Maletz,&nbsp;Rudy Lerosey-Aubril","doi":"10.1111/ede.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Two growth modes are recognized in colonial pterobranchs (Graptolithina): monopodial growth and sympodial growth. The earliest colonial Graptolithina likely developed through monopodial growth, a mode of colony formation well-documented in the extant graptolite <i>Rhabdopleura normani</i>. This growth involves a permanent terminal zooid and the sequential budding of additional zooids behind it, as the contractile stalk (<i>gymnocaulus</i>) of this terminal zooid elongates. This process is reflected in specific features of the secreted housing structure, the tubarium. Recently, monopodial growth was identified for the first time in a fossil taxon—the Cambrian dithecodendrid <i>Tarnagraptus</i>—based on tubarium characteristics, as no zooids were preserved. Monopodial growth also appears probable in other Cambrian taxa resembling <i>Tarnagraptus</i>, although evidence remains limited due to fragmentary materials. Sympodial growth, characterized by transient terminal zooids that are sequentially replaced as new buds form, is extensively documented in the fossil record of the Graptolithina. This growth mode characterizes the vast majority of Cambrian to Devonian Dendroidea and Graptoloidea. Phylogenetic evidence suggests sympodial growth evolved from monopodial growth in graptolithines, but the mechanisms underlying this evolutionary transition remain unclear.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ede.70010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144256460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recruitment of Sugar Transport and Scent Volatile Genes for Prey Attraction in the Nectar Spoon of Heliamphora tatei","authors":"Sukuan Liu,&nbsp;Stacey D. Smith","doi":"10.1111/ede.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Prey attraction is an integral component of the carnivorous syndrome, yet its molecular adaptations have remained largely unexplored. Our study utilized tissue-specific transcriptomic data from the South American marsh pitcher plant, <i>Heliamphora tatei</i>, to explore the molecular and developmental basis of prey attraction. Carnivorous plants often present specialized structures associated with prey attraction and in <i>Heliamphora</i>, that function is carried out by the nectar spoon, a colorful extension of the top of the pitcher that is densely covered in nectaries. Through comparisons of gene expression in the nectar spoon with the rest of the pitcher, we identified a suite of differentially expressed genes that likely contribute to prey attraction, including enzymes involved in volatile synthesis and sugar transporters. We found that one lineage of sugar transporters, the 14a clade of <i>SWEET</i>s (Sugars Will Eventually Be Exported Transporters), is highly upregulated in the nectar spoon and has evolved more rapidly in Sarraceniaceae, consistent with specialization for nectar transport as part of prey attraction. Among the genes related to volatile production, we found several enzymes best known for their role in floral scent. These results suggest that, similar to prey digestion, ancient genes are repurposed for novel functions during the transition to carnivory and may facilitate the repeated convergent origins of carnivory across angiosperms.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ede.70009","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144126080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Evolution of Skull Shape in Boana faber Clade: Unraveling Heterochrony's Influence","authors":"Daniel de Abreu e Melo-Moreira,&nbsp;Roberta Azeredo Murta-Fonseca,&nbsp;Alessandra Silveira Machado,&nbsp;Ricardo Tadeu Lopes,&nbsp;Luciana Barreto Nascimento","doi":"10.1111/ede.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Variation in shape and size within a lineage, driven by developmental processes, plays a key role in diversification. Here, we explore the effects of allometry and heterochrony on the skull shape evolution during the post-metamorphic period of species within the <i>Boana faber</i> clade, which vary considerably in body size. We analyzed 61 skulls of specimens belonging to eight species of the <i>Boana faber</i> clade, in addition to two outgroups, through 2D geometric morphometric analyses taken from CT-Scan images. Our results demonstrated that skull shape is considerably impacted by the size, represented by centroid size, and this effect can be observed from ontogenetic and evolutionary perspectives. In this way, we accessed the ontogenetic trajectories of analysed species and, in light of the phylogenetic hypothesis of the clade, we discussed the observed variation based on the concept of heterochrony, suggesting that a peramorphic pattern has evolved in the group.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ede.70008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143939545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plasticity as a Sign of Developmental Bias in the Evolution of Gene Regulatory Networks","authors":"Carlos Espinosa-Soto","doi":"10.1111/ede.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Phenotypic plasticity is an organism's ability to produce a different phenotype in response to nongenetic perturbations such as environmental disturbances. Beneficial phenotypic plasticity can be important in evolution. After an environmental disturbance, it can delay extinction giving opportunity to the appearance of beneficial mutations. In addition, plasticity may also be one of the factors that define the course that evolution takes, for example, through genetic assimilation. This is a process in which a phenotype that initially appears as a plastic response becomes under genetic control. In the end, development of such a phenotype does not require the factor that originally induced it. Here, I use a model of the evolution of gene regulatory networks to study the range of conditions that allow the association between plasticity and the course of evolution. I assayed conditions like the difference between ancestral and optimum phenotypes, the difficulty to build the optimum phenotype, the complexity of the developmental system, mutation rate, strength of plasticity limitations, fitness advantage of the optima, and the similarity between the initially induced phenotype and the optimum. I found that populations that yield a beneficial phenotype through plasticity most often evolve a similar genetically determined phenotype under all the conditions that I assayed. I also identified conditions that facilitate evolution through genetic assimilation. Notwithstanding, even under less favorable circumstances, this form of evolution still confers easier access to a new genetically determined optimum.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143845974","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does Covariation Between Cranial and Pelvic Shapes Alleviate the Obstetric Dilemma? Insights From a Brazilian Sample","authors":"Maria Rita Guedes Carvalho,&nbsp;Mercedes Okumura","doi":"10.1111/ede.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Cranial and pelvic bones could have evolved in response to each other during human evolutionary history due to the increasingly tight fit between the baby's head and the mother's pelvis during delivery. A recently identified covariation pattern between these sets of bones and stature has shown important evidence of such an evolutionary trade-off, alleviating the chances of obstructed labor. Here, we tested the validity of this covariation pattern in a different sample, from a population with known high rates of C-section. 98 computed tomographies were used to perform statistical covariation tests (two-block partial least squares and ANOVA Procrustes) between pelvic and cranial shape, as well as other anthropometric variables, like stature, body mass, and BMI. Additionally, measurements were taken from cranial and pelvic bones for classic morphometric analyses. The results have shown an important sexual dimorphism in pelvic bones' shape but no correlation between them and stature or cranial size or shape. In terms of size, the sexual dimorphism on the true pelvis was also noticeable. The fact that the results obtained from this sample do not corroborate previous findings suggests the absence of this pattern in some populations. It also suggests that the current ideal rates of C-sections proposed by the World Health Organization might not be considering the existing diversity among human populations that may account for variable levels of difficulties in birth.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143749422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ontogenetic Mechanisms of Differentiation in Two Salvia Species With Different Pollinators","authors":"Agustín Davies,&nbsp;Santiago Benitez-Vieyra","doi":"10.1111/ede.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Shifts between pollinators are a major driver in the evolution and diversification of angiosperms and often involve major changes in flower morphology. These morphological differences typically originate during development, highlighting the importance of integrating ecological and developmental studies. Corolla tube length, in particular, is a key trait in specialized plant-pollinator interactions. Here, we compared flower development in two closely related <i>Salvia</i> species with contrasting corolla tube lengths: <i>Salvia guaranitica</i>, pollinated by hummingbirds, and <i>Salvia stachydifolia</i>, primarily pollinated by bees. We characterized developmental trajectories, floral development duration, and patterns of cell growth and proliferation. Both species shared similar allometric trajectories, differing only in their prolongation, suggesting ontogenetic scaling. However, <i>S. guaranitica</i> exhibited longer and faster corolla tube growth, resulting in a larger final size compared to <i>S. stachydifolia</i>. Corolla tube growth was linked to cell proliferation during the early stages of bud development and rapid anisotropic cell elongation in later stages. Additionally, we observed differences in anisotropic growth rates across basal, middle, and distal regions of the corolla tube. These findings suggest that shifts between pollination syndromes in <i>Salvia</i> species may occur without major changes to basic developmental patterns, but through ontogenetic scaling accompanied by heterochronic changes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143717468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Conserved Somatic Sex Determination Cascade Instructs Trait-Specific Sexual Dimorphism in Horned Dung Beetles","authors":"London C. Mitchell,&nbsp;Armin P. Moczek,&nbsp;Erica M. Nadolski","doi":"10.1111/ede.70004","DOIUrl":"10.1111/ede.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sex-specific trait expression represents a striking dimension of morphological variation within and across species. The mechanisms instructing sex-specific organ development have been well studied in a small number of insect model systems, suggesting striking conservation in some parts of the somatic sex determination pathway while hinting at possible evolutionary lability in others. However, further resolution of this phenomenon necessitates additional taxon sampling, particularly in groups in which sexual dimorphisms have undergone significant elaboration and diversification. Here, we functionally investigate the somatic sex determination pathway in the gazelle dung beetle <i>Digitonthophagus gazella</i>, an emerging model system in the study of the development and evolution of sexual dimorphisms. We find that RNA interference (RNAi) targeting <i>transformer (tra)</i> caused chromosomal females to develop morphological traits largely indistinguishable from those normally only observed in males, and that <i>tra</i>^RNAi is sufficient to induce splicing of the normally male-specific isoform of <i>doublesex</i> in chromosomal females, while leaving males unaffected. Further, <i>intersex</i>^RNAi was found to phenocopy previously described RNAi phenotypes of <i>doublesex</i> in female but not male beetles. These findings match predictions derived from models of the sex determination cascade as developed largely through studies in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>. In contrast, efforts to target <i>transformer2</i> via RNAi resulted in high juvenile mortality but did not appear to affect <i>doublesex</i> splicing, whereas RNAi targeting <i>Sex-lethal</i> and two putative orthologs of <i>hermaphrodite</i> yielded no obvious phenotypic modifications in either males or females, raising the possibility that the function of a subset of sex determination genes may be derived in select Diptera and thus nonrepresentative of their roles in other holometabolous orders. Our results help illuminate how the differential evolutionary lability of the somatic sex determination pathway has contributed to the extraordinary morphological diversification of sex-specific trait expression found in nature.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11923317/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143662938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}