The Experts below are selected from a list of 132 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Eric H. Davidson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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evolution of gene regulatory networks controlling body plan development
Cell, 2011Co-Authors: Isabelle S. Peter, Eric H. DavidsonAbstract:Evolutionary change in Animal Morphology results from alteration of the functional organization of the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that control development of the body plan. A major mechanism of evolutionary change in GRN structure is alteration of cis-regulatory modules that determine regulatory gene expression. Here we consider the causes and consequences of GRN evolution. Although some GRN subcircuits are of great antiquity, other aspects are highly flexible and thus in any given genome more recent. This mosaic view of the evolution of GRN structure explains major aspects of evolutionary process, such as hierarchical phylogeny and discontinuities of paleontological change.
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the evolution of hierarchical gene regulatory networks
Nature Reviews Genetics, 2009Co-Authors: Douglas H. Erwin, Eric H. DavidsonAbstract:Comparative developmental evidence indicates that reorganizations in developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs) underlie evolutionary changes in Animal Morphology, including body plans. We argue here that the nature of the evolutionary alterations that arise from regulatory changes depends on the hierarchical position of the change within a GRN. This concept cannot be accomodated by microevolutionary nor macroevolutionary theory. It will soon be possible to investigate these ideas experimentally, by assessing the effects of GRN changes on morphological evolution.
Sören Nylin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Adaptive plasticity and plasticity as an adaptation : a selective review of plasticity in Animal Morphology and life history
Oikos, 1995Co-Authors: Karl Gotthard, Sören NylinAbstract:During the last decade there has been a rapidly growing interest in the study of phenotypic plasticity in Animals. Confused terminology in this field of research may be one reason why the focus of many studies is not as clear as it could be. The field of plasticity highlights the general problem of demonstrating adaptation. We discuss the terminology and methodology of plasticity studies, with particular reference to the question of which patterns should be considered evidence for plasticity as an adaptation to the environment, and how to find such evidence. We suggest a terminology where plasticity can be adaptive (i.e. beneficial, and maintained by selection) with respect to a function without strictly being an adaptation for it (evolutionary origin linked to this function), and vice versa. Modifications of the original reaction norm, seen today as differences in plasticity between populations and species, can be adaptations for a function even when the plasticity itself is not (it may follow from constraints or from selection for another function). We selectively review cases reported as evidence of adaptive plasticity in Animal Morphology and life history, choosing examples from a wide range of taxa to illustrate our criteria for what should be called adaptive and adaptation when applied to plasticity.
Douglas H. Erwin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the evolution of hierarchical gene regulatory networks
Nature Reviews Genetics, 2009Co-Authors: Douglas H. Erwin, Eric H. DavidsonAbstract:Comparative developmental evidence indicates that reorganizations in developmental gene regulatory networks (GRNs) underlie evolutionary changes in Animal Morphology, including body plans. We argue here that the nature of the evolutionary alterations that arise from regulatory changes depends on the hierarchical position of the change within a GRN. This concept cannot be accomodated by microevolutionary nor macroevolutionary theory. It will soon be possible to investigate these ideas experimentally, by assessing the effects of GRN changes on morphological evolution.
Karl Gotthard - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Adaptive plasticity and plasticity as an adaptation : a selective review of plasticity in Animal Morphology and life history
Oikos, 1995Co-Authors: Karl Gotthard, Sören NylinAbstract:During the last decade there has been a rapidly growing interest in the study of phenotypic plasticity in Animals. Confused terminology in this field of research may be one reason why the focus of many studies is not as clear as it could be. The field of plasticity highlights the general problem of demonstrating adaptation. We discuss the terminology and methodology of plasticity studies, with particular reference to the question of which patterns should be considered evidence for plasticity as an adaptation to the environment, and how to find such evidence. We suggest a terminology where plasticity can be adaptive (i.e. beneficial, and maintained by selection) with respect to a function without strictly being an adaptation for it (evolutionary origin linked to this function), and vice versa. Modifications of the original reaction norm, seen today as differences in plasticity between populations and species, can be adaptations for a function even when the plasticity itself is not (it may follow from constraints or from selection for another function). We selectively review cases reported as evidence of adaptive plasticity in Animal Morphology and life history, choosing examples from a wide range of taxa to illustrate our criteria for what should be called adaptive and adaptation when applied to plasticity.
Shannon M Clarke - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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sheep genome functional annotation reveals proximal regulatory elements contributed to the evolution of modern breeds
Nature Communications, 2018Co-Authors: Marina Navalsanchez, Quan Nguyen, Sean Mcwilliam, Laercio R Portoneto, Ross L Tellam, Tony Vuocolo, Antonio Reverter, Miguel Perezenciso, Rudiger Brauning, Shannon M ClarkeAbstract:Domestication fundamentally reshaped Animal Morphology, physiology and behaviour, offering the opportunity to investigate the molecular processes driving evolutionary change. Here we assess sheep domestication and artificial selection by comparing genome sequence from 43 modern breeds (Ovis aries) and their Asian mouflon ancestor (O. orientalis) to identify selection sweeps. Next, we provide a comparative functional annotation of the sheep genome, validated using experimental ChIP-Seq of sheep tissue. Using these annotations, we evaluate the impact of selection and domestication on regulatory sequences and find that sweeps are significantly enriched for protein coding genes, proximal regulatory elements of genes and genome features associated with active transcription. Finally, we find individual sites displaying strong allele frequency divergence are enriched for the same regulatory features. Our data demonstrate that remodelling of gene expression is likely to have been one of the evolutionary forces that drove phenotypic diversification of this common livestock species.