Pedomorphosis: Difference between revisions
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In [[developmental biology]], '''pedomorphosis''' (also spelled '''paedomorphosis''') or '''juvenification''' is a [[phenotype|phenotypic]] and/or [[genotype|genotypic]] change in which the adults of a species retain traits previously seen only in [[juvenile (animal)|juvenile]]s. [[Peramorphosis]] is change in the reverse direction. Pedomorphosis was first proposed by [[Walter Garstang]] in [[1922]]<ref>Garstang, W. (1922) The Theory of Recapitulation: a critical Re-statement of the Biogenetic Law. ''Linn. Soc. Jour. Zool.'', XXXV, pp. 81-101</ref>. The underlying mechanisms for this include [[heterochrony]]. |
In [[developmental biology]], '''pedomorphosis''' (also spelled '''paedomorphosis''') or '''juvenification''' is a [[phenotype|phenotypic]] and/or [[genotype|genotypic]] change in which the adults of a species retain traits previously seen only in [[juvenile (animal)|juvenile]]s. [[Peramorphosis]] is change in the reverse direction. Pedomorphosis was first proposed by [[Walter Garstang]] in [[1922]]<ref>Garstang, W. (1922) The Theory of Recapitulation: a critical Re-statement of the Biogenetic Law. ''Linn. Soc. Jour. Zool.'', XXXV, pp. 81-101</ref>. The underlying mechanisms for this include [[heterochrony]]. |
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Pedomorphosis is common in many animal species [[domestication|domesticated]] by humans, including [[Dog#Neoteny_in_the_rapid_evolution_of_diverse_dog_breeds|dog]]s, [[chicken]]s, [[pig]]s and [[cattle]]. It is believed to be a side-effect of the [[artificial selection|selective]] pressure of human-directed [[selective breeding|breeding]] for juvenile behavioral characteristics such as docility.<ref>{{citation|last = Trut|first = Lyudmila N|year = 1999|url = http://www.floridalupine.org/publications/PDF/trut-fox-study.pdf|title="Early Canid Domestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment"|journal = [[American Scientist]]|volume = 87|issue = 2|pages = 160-169}}. (A [[Russia]]n study of pedomorphosis in a 40-year breeding program to domesticate [[red fox]]es.)</ref> |
Pedomorphosis is common in many animal species [[domestication|domesticated]] by humans, including [[Dog#Neoteny_in_the_rapid_evolution_of_diverse_dog_breeds|dog]]s, [[chicken]]s, [[pig]]s and [[cattle]]. It is believed to be a side-effect of the [[artificial selection|selective]] pressure of human-directed [[selective breeding|breeding]] for juvenile behavioral characteristics such as docility.<ref>{{citation|last = Trut|first = Lyudmila N|year = 1999|url = http://www.floridalupine.org/publications/PDF/trut-fox-study.pdf|title="Early Canid Domestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment"|journal = [[American Scientist]]|volume = 87|issue = 2|pages = 160-169}}. (A [[Russia]]n study of pedomorphosis in a 40-year breeding program to domesticate [[red fox]]es.)</ref> Pedomorphosis may also be directly selected for as it is associated with [[cuteness]]. |
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Natural pedomorphosis occurs in many species of [[amphibians]], especially [[Ambystomatidae|ambystomatid]] and [[Proteidae|protean]] salamanders. In amphibians it can be [[obligate]] or [[facultative]]. For example, some salamanders retain their [[gill]]s during adulthood, unlike most other amphibians. It is assumed that at some point in the past, they too would lose their gills, but some genetic change caused them to be retained, at a point where it was evolutionarily advantageous or neutral. Pedomorphosis also occurs in [[termite]]s and several species of [[cockroach]]. [[Humans]] are considered by some scientists to be pedomorphic, due to their flattened face, short [[jaw]], and bulbous [[forehead]] compared to other adult [[primates]]. |
Natural pedomorphosis occurs in many species of [[amphibians]], especially [[Ambystomatidae|ambystomatid]] and [[Proteidae|protean]] salamanders. In amphibians it can be [[obligate]] or [[facultative]]. For example, some salamanders retain their [[gill]]s during adulthood, unlike most other amphibians. It is assumed that at some point in the past, they too would lose their gills, but some genetic change caused them to be retained, at a point where it was evolutionarily advantageous or neutral. Pedomorphosis also occurs in [[termite]]s and several species of [[cockroach]]. [[Humans]] are considered by some scientists to be pedomorphic, due to their flattened face, short [[jaw]], and bulbous [[forehead]] compared to other adult [[primates]]. |
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Revision as of 22:41, 14 August 2008
In developmental biology, pedomorphosis (also spelled paedomorphosis) or juvenification is a phenotypic and/or genotypic change in which the adults of a species retain traits previously seen only in juveniles. Peramorphosis is change in the reverse direction. Pedomorphosis was first proposed by Walter Garstang in 1922[1]. The underlying mechanisms for this include heterochrony.
Pedomorphosis is common in many animal species domesticated by humans, including dogs, chickens, pigs and cattle. It is believed to be a side-effect of the selective pressure of human-directed breeding for juvenile behavioral characteristics such as docility.[2] Pedomorphosis may also be directly selected for as it is associated with cuteness.
Natural pedomorphosis occurs in many species of amphibians, especially ambystomatid and protean salamanders. In amphibians it can be obligate or facultative. For example, some salamanders retain their gills during adulthood, unlike most other amphibians. It is assumed that at some point in the past, they too would lose their gills, but some genetic change caused them to be retained, at a point where it was evolutionarily advantageous or neutral. Pedomorphosis also occurs in termites and several species of cockroach. Humans are considered by some scientists to be pedomorphic, due to their flattened face, short jaw, and bulbous forehead compared to other adult primates.
Pedomorphosis also occurs in some plants, which change rapidly in response to environmental shifts. One example is the single species in the genus Oreostylidium, where a founder population of a more specialized plant from Australia reached New Zealand. The flowers were typically associated with a single pollinator species, but pollinators were unspecialized in its new home. It is hypothesized that in response to this new lack of pollinator pressure, the plants underwent a rapid evolution that allowed flowers to reach sexual maturity earlier as immature plants, thus fueling the pedomorphic change.[3]
There are several kinds of pedomorphism which may appear independently or in combination:
- Neoteny, in which somatic (or physical) development is slowed, resulting in a sexually mature juvenile or larval form.
- Progenesis, in which development is halted before full maturity.
- Postdisplacement, in which the start of development is delayed.
References
- ^ Garstang, W. (1922) The Theory of Recapitulation: a critical Re-statement of the Biogenetic Law. Linn. Soc. Jour. Zool., XXXV, pp. 81-101
- ^ Trut, Lyudmila N (1999), ""Early Canid Domestication: The Farm-Fox Experiment"" (PDF), American Scientist, 87 (2): 160–169. (A Russian study of pedomorphosis in a 40-year breeding program to domesticate red foxes.)
- ^ Wagstaff, S J; Wege, J (2002), "Patterns of diversification in New Zealand Stylidiaceae", American Journal of Botany, 89 (5): 865–874.