Evolution & Development最新文献

{"title":"Genetic Characterization of the Cell Types in Developing Feathers, and the Evolution of Feather Complexity","authors":"Cody Limber,&nbsp;Günter P. Wagner,&nbsp;Richard O. Prum","doi":"10.1111/ede.70016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Feathers are the most complex and diverse epidermal appendages found in vertebrates. Their unique hierarchical organization and development is based on a diversity of cell types and morphologies. Despite these presumptive feather cell types being well characterized morphologically, little is known about how gene regulation contributes to their development. Here, we use single cell and single nuclear RNA sequencing with in situ hybridization to identify and characterize cells types in embryonic chicken feathers. We show that the distinct cell morphologies correspond to feather cell types with distinct gene expression profiles. We also describe a previously unidentified cell type, the barb ridge basal epithelium, which appears to play a role alongside the marginal plate in barb ridge differentiation. A cell-cell signaling analysis provides evidence of important roles for the barb ridge basal epithelium and marginal plate signaling to the barb ridge. Furthermore, we analyze RNA velocity trajectories of developing feather cells and find distinct developmental trajectories for epidermal cells that constitute the mature feather and those that function only in feather development. Finally, we produce an evolutionary tree of feather cell types based on transcription factor expression as a test of the prior developmental hypotheses about feather evolution. Our tree is consistent with the developmental model of feather evolution, and sheds light on the influence of ancestral epidermal stratification on feather cell evolution. This transcriptomic approach to studying feather cell types helps lay the ground work for understanding the developmental evolutionary complexity and diversity of feathers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144897821","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":"Allometric Changes Across Horseshoe Crab Moults Evidence Developmentally Controlled Ecological Shifts and Possible Exoskeletal Modularity","authors":"Russell D. C. Bicknell,&nbsp;Carmela Cuomo","doi":"10.1111/ede.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Developmental changes in animals reflect important behavioral, biological, and ecological shifts. Allometric adjustments in arthropods, specifically, are associated with changes in sexual maturity or alterations in life mode. Examining post-embryological allometry of the American horseshoe crab—<i>Limulus polyphemus</i>—here evidences early shifts in prosomal development, later changes in thoracetronic size, and possible modularity across exoskeletal sections. Modifications in prosomal allometry reflect transitions from living above the substrate to primarily burrowing. This change occurs at the 3–4 moult stage and is associated with a 70% mortality rate in both natural settings and under aquaculture conditions. Thoracetron allometry changes record the fusion of opisthosomal tergites into a plate, where tergal development drives shifts in thoracetron morphology. Allometric changes between main body sections present possible evidence for modularity within the horseshoe crab exoskeleton that manifest across moulting events. These allometric shifts reflect the complex evolutionary history of the group, especially changes from surface dwelling and enrollment to burrowing, likely in response to increased predation pressures.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ede.70015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144782232","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":"Comparative Embryology and Transcriptomics of Asellus infernus, an Isopod Crustacean From Sulfidic Groundwater","authors":"Haeli J. Lomheim,&nbsp;Lizet Reyes Rodas,&nbsp;Devon Price,&nbsp;Serban M. Sarbu,&nbsp;Raluca I. Băncilă,&nbsp;Cody Carroll,&nbsp;Layla Freeborn,&nbsp;Sheri Sanders,&nbsp;Meredith E. Protas","doi":"10.1111/ede.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sulfidic caves are harsh and extreme environments characterized by limited oxygen, low pH, and the presence of hydrogen sulfide. Amazingly, animals can live in sulfidic caves, one such animal being <i>Asellus infernus</i>, a representative of the <i>Asellus aquaticus</i> species complex, originating from Movile Cave and from old wells that represent windows of access to a sulfidic groundwater ecosystem located in southeast Romania. Little previous work has been done on lab-reared populations of <i>A. infernus</i> as they have been historically difficult to raise in the lab. Here, we develop resources for <i>A. infernus</i>, examining questions of timing of morphological differences in cave versus surface individuals, whether the environment (lab-bred vs. wild-caught) influenced size characteristics, and the genes and pathways showing differential expression between cave and surface samples. We found that <i>A. infernus</i> did not develop pigmentation embryonically, and juveniles had increased body length and longer antenna II as compared to surface individuals. Furthermore, we found that some of these measures differed between wild-caught and lab-reared juveniles for a given population, indicating that environmental differences can also influence these size characteristics. In addition, differential expression between cave and surface samples and allele-specific expression studies within F1 hybrids identified multiple genes, including those involved in sulfide metabolism and phototransduction. Strikingly, molecular convergence of genes involved in sulfide detoxification was observed between <i>A. infernus</i> and previous work on a fish that lives in both cave and sulfidic environments, <i>Poecilia mexicana</i>. In sum, we were able to develop embryonic and genomic tools for <i>A. infernus</i>, a model for understanding cave adaptation and adaptation to sulfidic environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":12083,"journal":{"name":"Evolution & Development","volume":"27 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ede.70014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144751192","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":"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}