Convergent evolution of sexual dimorphism in skull shape using distinct developmental strategies.
Thomas J. Sanger,Emma Sherratt,Joel W. McGlothlin,Edmund D. Brodie,Jonathan B. Losos,Arhat Abzhanov +5 more
TLDR
Using geometric morphometric analysis of head shape for 50 Anolis species, it is shown that two clades have converged on extreme levels of sexual dimorphism through similar, male‐specific changes in facial morphology.Abstract:
Studies integrating evolutionary and developmental analyses of morphological variation are of growing interest to biologists as they promise to shed fresh light on the mechanisms of morphological diversification. Sexually dimorphic traits tend to be incredibly divergent across taxa. Such diversification must arise through evolutionary modifications to sex differences during development. Nevertheless, few studies of dimorphism have attempted to synthesize evolutionary and developmental perspectives. Using geometric morphometric analysis of head shape for 50 Anolis species, we show that two clades have converged on extreme levels of sexual dimorphism through similar, male-specific changes in facial morphology. In both clades, males have evolved highly elongate faces whereas females retain faces of more moderate proportion. This convergence is accomplished using distinct developmental mechanisms; one clade evolved extreme dimorphism through the exaggeration of a widely shared, potentially ancestral, developmental strategy whereas the other clade evolved a novel developmental strategy not observed elsewhere in the genus. Together, our analyses indicate that both shared and derived features of development contribute to macroevolutionary patterns of morphological diversity among Anolis lizards.read more
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Evolution of morphological allometry
Christophe Pélabon,Cyril Firmat,Geir H. Bolstad,Kjetil L. Voje,David Houle,Jason A. Cassara,Arnaud Le Rouzic,Thomas F. Hansen +7 more
TL;DR: Evidence is reviewed for and against the allometry‐as‐a‐constraint hypothesis, which suggests that allometries have low evolvability and could constrain phenotypic evolution by forcing evolving species along fixed trajectories.
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Cryptic Species or Inadequate Taxonomy? Implementation of 2D Geometric Morphometrics Based on Integumental Organs as Landmarks for Delimitation and Description of Copepod Taxa.
TL;DR: This study investigates a subterranean species complex belonging to the harpacticoid genus Schizopera Sars, 1905 using both the barcoding mitochondrial COI gene and landmark-based two-dimensional geometric morphometrics and argues that many supposedly cryptic species might not be cryptic if researchers focus on analyzing morphological structures with multivariate tools that explicitly take into account geometry of the phenotype.
Journal ArticleDOI
The ecological origins of snakes as revealed by skull evolution
Filipe Oliveira da Silva,Anne-Claire Fabre,Yoland Savriama,Joni Ollonen,Kristin Mahlow,Anthony Herrel,Johannes Müller,Nicolas Di-Poï +7 more
TL;DR: An integrative geometric morphometric approach is used that suggests evolution from terrestrial to fossorial in the most recent common ancestor of extant snakes, and indicates that snakes later evolved novel craniofacial specializations through global acceleration of skull development.
Journal ArticleDOI
Constraints Evolve: Context Dependency of Gene Effects Allows Evolution of Pleiotropy
TL;DR: It is argued that the idea of absolute constraints draws from the perception that gene effects are inherent to alleles and thus invariant across genetic and environmental backgrounds, however, evidence from studies involving genetic effects on multiple traits, observed across different genetic backgrounds and environments, supports the notion that genes' effects on traits change.
Journal ArticleDOI
Scaling of Morphological Characters across Trait Type, Sex, and Environment.
TL;DR: This work evaluates more than 3,200 allometric parameters from the literature and finds that negative allometry, not isometry, is the expected scaling relationship of morphological traits within species.
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