Parent--offspring similarity in the timing of developmental events: an origin of heterochrony?
Proc Biol Sci
; 280(1769): 20131479, 2013 Oct 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-23966639
ABSTRACT
Understanding the link between ontogeny (development) and phylogeny (evolution) remains a key aim of biology. Heterochrony, the altered timing of developmental events between ancestors and descendants, could be such a link although the processes responsible for producing heterochrony, widely viewed as an interspecific phenomenon, are still unclear. However, intraspecific variation in developmental event timing, if heritable, could provide the raw material from which heterochronies originate. To date, however, heritable developmental event timing has not been demonstrated, although recent work did suggest a genetic basis for intraspecific differences in event timing in the embryonic development of the pond snail, Radix balthica. Consequently, here we used high-resolution (temporal and spatial) imaging of the entire embryonic development of R. balthica to perform a parent-offspring comparison of the timing of twelve, physiological and morphological developmental events. Between-parent differences in the timing of all events were good predictors of such timing differences between their offspring, and heritability was demonstrated for two of these events (foot attachment and crawling). Such heritable intraspecific variation in developmental event timing could be the raw material for speciation events, providing a fundamental link between ontogeny and phylogeny, via heterochrony.
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Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Caramujos
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2013
Tipo de documento:
Article