Ontogenesis and Morphological Diversification | Zendy

Pere Alberch | Zendy

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Ontogenesis and Morphological Diversification

Author(s) -

Pere Alberch

Publication year - 1980

Publication title -

american zoologist

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

eISSN - 2162-4445

pISSN - 0003-1569

DOI - 10.1093/icb/20.4.653

Subject(s) - phyletic gradualism , biology , evolutionary biology , epigenetics , diversification (marketing strategy) , randomness , organism , morphology (biology) , zoology , genetics , phylogenetics , gene , marketing , business , statistics , mathematics

SYNOPSIS. The role of development in constraining the directionality and patterns of morphological evolution is examined. The nature of morphological variation and appearance of morphological novelties is determined by the epigenetic properties of the organism. Consideration of these properties has profound implications for current theories of morphological evolution. Developmental constraints impose severe limitations on the gradualistic action of directional selection. Evolutionis viewed as the result of differential survival of morphological novelties. However, the production of morphological novelties by developmental programs is not random. This non-randomness in morphologically expressed genetic mutations—an epigenetic property—can result in phyletic trends, parallelisms and convergences.

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