Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Laura Nuno de la Rosa, Mihaela Pavlicev, Arantza Etxeberria
Summary: Critiques of the container model and the emergence of new perspectives have led to a reevaluation of the concept of pregnancy as an evolved relational novelty. The idea of historical individuality, as opposed to other views of biological individuality, offers a fresh insight into pregnancy and may help dispel misconceptions.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rebekka Hoech, Ralf F. Schneider, Alison Kickuth, Axel Meyer, Joost M. Woltering
Summary: With over 18,000 species, Acanthomorpha fishes form the largest and most diverse radiation of vertebrates, with their evolutionary success attributed to the spiny rays in their fins. By studying the differentiation of fin domains in Astatotilapia burtoni, researchers identified distinct transcription factor signatures and mechanisms such as BMP inhibition and shh secretion that contribute to the establishment of spiny and soft-ray domains. This research suggests a repeated exaptation of developmental programs contributing to the convergent evolution of spiny fin elements in fishes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Chris G. C. Jacobs, Remy van der Hulst, Yen-Ta Chen, Ryan P. Williamson, Siegfried Roth, Maurijn van der Zee
Summary: This study explores the immune function of the serosa in two hemimetabolous insects and finds that eggs show immune competence when the serosa is present, with immune gene expression localized in the serosa. This preliminary finding suggests that immune competence may be an ancestral property of the serosa.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Douglas H. Erwin
Summary: The recognition of deep homologies among metazoan developmental processes and the spread of mechanistic approaches in developmental biology since 1990 has led to a resurgence of interest in evolutionary novelty and innovation, with different stress placed on their radical nature and ecological impact. A conceptual framework for novelty and innovation involves the generation of potential for novelty, formation of novel attributes, refinement through adaptation, exploitation by a clade, and establishment through ecological processes. Little empirical support is found for the dominance of ecological opportunity or abrupt discontinuities in the evolution of novelty or innovation.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takumi Karasawa, Namiho Saito, Shigeyuki Koshikawa
Summary: The cis-regulatory sequence of the wingless gene in Drosophila guttifera has changed, leading to its expression in new places and the formation of unique wing pigmentation patterns.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alistair P. McGregor, Alexandra D. Buffry, Renske M. A. Vroomans
Summary: Evolutionary developmental biology is a broad field that aims to understand how developmental processes evolve and contribute to phenotypic change and organismal diversification. This special issue reviews key topics in the field, including advances in theory and methodology, as well as our latest knowledge about molecular, cellular, and organismal functionality and diversification.
ESSAYS IN BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher Douglas Robert Wyatt, Michael Andrew Bentley, Daisy Taylor, Emeline Favreau, Ryan Edward Brock, Benjamin Aaron Taylor, Emily Bell, Ellouise Leadbeater, Seirian Sumner
Summary: A shared genetic toolkit is believed to regulate reproductive castes in social insects. The authors analyze brain transcriptomes from nine species of social wasps to identify the factors that shape this toolkit.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrei P. Kozlov
Summary: A theory called the carcino-evo-devo theory is being developed to explain the evolutionary role of hereditary tumors. The theory proposes that hereditary tumors played a role in the evolution of multicellular organisms by providing additional cell masses for the expression of novel genes. It has made several nontrivial predictions that have been confirmed in laboratory experiments and offers explanations for previously unexplained biological phenomena. By considering individual development, evolutionary development, and neoplastic development within one framework, the carcino-evo-devo theory has the potential to become a unifying biological theory.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Min Jiang, Jinjing Jian, Chengchuan Zhou, Linfeng Li, Yuguo Wang, Wenju Zhang, Zhiping Song, Ji Yang
Summary: The origin of seeds is a crucial innovation in the evolution of land plants, and it has been a subject of debate whether the integument, the structure surrounding the nucellus within the ovule, arises de novo or evolves from pre-existing structures. By studying the key regulatory genes controlling integument development and their functions, researchers have found homologous genes in seedless plant genomes that play a role in patterning leaf-like lateral organs. This suggests a serial homology between integuments and other lateral organs, indicating that the integument likely evolved from the modification of pre-existing structures.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
A. P. Kozlov
Summary: This paper introduces the theory of carcino-evo-devo, which explains the sources of additional cell masses in the evolution of multicellular organisms. Several non-trivial predictions are formulated and confirmed through experiments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Salem al-Mosleh, Gary P. T. Choi, Arhat Abzhanov, L. Mahadevan
Summary: The study analyzed the beak morphology of Darwin's finches, finding that the curvature increases linearly from the base to the tip of the beak and is related to dietary habits. By proposing an experimentally motivated growth law and utilizing a morphospace, the study shows how a combination of geometry and dynamics allows for the development and evolution of functional form in the finches.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Facundo Romani, Javier E. Moreno
Summary: Transcription factors play a crucial role in plant evolution, with changes in body plan and physiological responses driving their functional evolution. Some gene regulatory networks are highly conserved, while others emerge in specific lineages. Recent studies offer new insights into the functional evolution of transcription factors.
Review
Biology
Daisuke Koyabu
Summary: Over the past decade, studies combining palaeontology, embryology, and experimental developmental biology have significantly changed our understanding of the homology of the mammalian skull. New evidence suggests the need to revisit and restructure the conventional anatomical terminology used for the components of the mammalian skull, which has been a longstanding unresolved issue since the nineteenth century. This review highlights the overlooked problems related to homology, development, and conservatism of the mammalian skull, with a call for future studies in these areas.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Federica Mantica, Manuel Irimia
Summary: Animal species exhibit high gene conservation but also display diverse cell types and tissue phenotypes. The diversity of phenotypes is mainly regulated through differential gene usage, which involves mechanisms such as regulated gene transcription and regulated alternative splicing. This review proposes a novel framework, the 3D-evo space, for the comprehensive comparison between regulated gene transcription and regulated alternative splicing, highlighting their molecular basis, tissue-specific contributions, and evolutionary determinants. By discussing general trends and specific examples of tissue program evolution, the review provides insights into the common regulatory principles and unique properties of these two molecular mechanisms.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Carlos J. Rivera-Rivera, Djordje Grbic
Summary: CastNet is a genome evolution simulator that models the regulatory interactions between genes, providing insights into comparative genomics and molecular evolution.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Douglas H. Erwin
Summary: The collective integration and processing of information in the history of life have increased significantly, through the formation of aggregates with entities having different properties and through collectives of similar entities. These increases have had implications on major transitions in the history of life, such as the origin of life, the generation of pangenomes among microbes and microbial communities, multicellularity, and social insects.
THEORY IN BIOSCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Developmental Biology
Douglas H. Erwin
Article
Geography, Physical
Qiong Wu, Jahandar Ramezani, Hua Zhang, Dong-xun Yuan, Douglas H. Erwin, Charles M. Henderson, Lance L. Lambert, Yi-chun Zhang, Shu-zhong Shen
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jun-xuan Fan, Shu-zhong Shen, Douglas H. Erwin, Peter M. Sadler, Norman MacLeod, Qiu-ming Cheng, Xu-dong Hou, Jiao Yang, Xiang-dong Wang, Yue Wang, Hua Zhang, Xu Chen, Guo-xiang Li, Yi-chun Zhang, Yu-kun Shi, Dong-xun Yuan, Qing Chen, Lin-na Zhang, Chao Li, Ying-ying Zhao
Review
Biology
Devon B. Cole, Daniel B. Mills, Douglas H. Erwin, Erik A. Sperling, Susannah M. Porter, Christopher T. Reinhard, Noah J. Planavsky
Article
Biology
Douglas H. Erwin
Summary: The recognition of deep homologies among metazoan developmental processes and the spread of mechanistic approaches in developmental biology since 1990 has led to a resurgence of interest in evolutionary novelty and innovation, with different stress placed on their radical nature and ecological impact. A conceptual framework for novelty and innovation involves the generation of potential for novelty, formation of novel attributes, refinement through adaptation, exploitation by a clade, and establishment through ecological processes. Little empirical support is found for the dominance of ecological opportunity or abrupt discontinuities in the evolution of novelty or innovation.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shu-zhong Shen, Dong-xun Yuan, Charles M. Henderson, Qiong Wu, Yi-chun Zhang, Hua Zhang, Lin Mu, Jahandar Ramezani, Xiang-dong Wang, Lance L. Lambert, Douglas H. Erwin, Jonena M. Hearst, Lei Xiang, Bo Chen, Jun-xuan Fan, Yue Wang, Wen-qian Wang, Yu-ping Qi, Jun Chen, Wen-kun Qie, Tian-tian Wang
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2020)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Douglas H. Erwin
Summary: This article discusses the influences of ecological opportunity, environmental potential, and developmental capacity on the evolution of macroscopic animals during the diversification process, proposing a conceptual framework focusing on the expansion of developmental capacity through novelty and individuation. Comparative developmental studies and data from the fossil record suggest that developmental capacity can rapidly expand through developmental novelties without leading directly to morphological novelties or innovation.
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Scott D. Evans, Mary L. Droser, Douglas H. Erwin
Summary: Analysis of representative taxa from the Ediacaran White Sea assemblage suggests that early animals likely possessed genetic pathways for multicellularity, axial polarity, musculature, and a nervous system. The absence of major differentiation of macroscopic body units in these animals supports the hypothesis that features like heads with concentrated sensory machinery or ventral nerve cords evolved independently in disparate bilaterian clades.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott D. Evans, James G. Gehling, Douglas H. Erwin, Mary L. Droser
Summary: By studying well-preserved Dickinsonia costata specimens, researchers tested competing hypotheses for module addition location and found patterns related to growth that share similarities with those regulated by morphogen gradients in metazoans today.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hua Zhang, Feifei Zhang, Jiu-bin Chen, Douglas H. Erwin, Drew D. Syverson, Pei Ni, Michael Rampino, Zhe Chi, Yao-feng Cai, Lei Xiang, Wei-qiang Li, Sheng-ao Liu, Ru-cheng Wang, Xiang-dong Wang, Zhuo Feng, Hou-min Li, Ting Zhang, Hong-ming Cai, Wang Zheng, Ying Cui, Xiang-kun Zhu, Zeng-qian Hou, Fu-yuan Wu, Yi-gang Xu, Noah Planavsky, Shu-zhong Shen
Summary: Felsic volcanic activities made significant contributions to the end-Permian environmental changes, causing extreme copper and mercury enrichments and potentially leading to rapid cooling degrees before or synchronously with global warming. The new geochemical data suggest that the Siberian Traps large igneous province may not have been the sole trigger for the end-Permian mass extinction.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shu-zhong Shen, Dong-xun Yuan, Charles M. Henderson, Lance L. Lambert, Yi-chun Zhang, Douglas H. Erwin, Jahandar Ramezani, Xiang-dong Wang, Hua Zhang, Qiong Wu, Wen-qian Wang, Jonena M. Hearst, Jun Chen, Yue Wang, Wen-kun Qie, Yu-ping Qi, Bruce R. Wardlaw
Summary: The GSSP for the base of the Capitanian Stage was proposed in 1999 in West Texas, USA, but the official paper and index fossils have not been properly documented. Based on carbon isotope and magnetostratigraphic studies, the base and boundary of the Capitanian Stage have been constrained at 264.28+/- 0.16 Ma.
Article
Geology
Shu-Han Zhang, Shu-Zhong Shen, Douglas H. Erwin
Summary: This study investigates the patterns of latitudinal diversity gradients (LDGs) from the Carboniferous icehouse to the Triassic greenhouse climates using marine invertebrate fossils. The results suggest that LDG peaks are influenced by multiple factors rather than solely alternating icehouse and greenhouse climates, with icehouse climates generally restricting diversity at high latitudes. The diversity peaks shifted northward during the late Carboniferous and early Permian, likely due to plate drift and increased habitat area. Changes in LDG steepness were most pronounced at low latitudes and during biotic crises and recovery, while transitions from icehouse to greenhouse climates created more deviation at high latitudes.
Article
Geography, Physical
Shu-han Zhang, Shu-zhong Shen, Douglas H. Erwin
Summary: This study reveals that the two episodes of cosmopolitanism during the Carboniferous to Triassic had different characteristics and driving mechanisms, but both were linked to icehouse and hothouse climates. These findings highlight the complex response of deep time marine ecosystems to climate changes and the multiple drivers of cosmopolitanism in the marine biosphere.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Douglas H. Erwin
BOLLETTINO DELLA SOCIETA PALEONTOLOGICA ITALIANA
(2019)