Phenotypic diversity, mimicry and natural selection in the African butterfly Hypolimnas misippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Do animals set the course for the evolution of their lineage when manipulating their environment? This heavily disputed question is empirically unexplored but critical to interpret phenotypic diversity. Here, we tested whether the macroevolutionary rates of body morphology correlate with the use of built artifacts in a megadiverse clade comprising builders and nonbuilders—spiders. By separating the inferred building-dependent rates from background effects, we found that variation in the evolution of morphology is poorly explained by artifact use. Thus natural selection acting directly on body morphology rather than indirectly via construction behavior is the dominant driver of phenotypic diversity.

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A Conceptual Roadmap to Homology

Homology, Genes, and Evolutionary Innovation ◽

10.23943/princeton/9780691156460.003.0003 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Günter P. Wagner

Keyword(s):

Natural Selection ◽

Morphological Variation ◽

Research Program ◽

Phenotypic Diversity ◽

Evolutionary Explanation ◽

Body Parts ◽

Developmental Evolution ◽

Homologous Genes ◽

Character Identity ◽

The Difference

This chapter proposes a conceptual roadmap to homology, with the goal of supporting the research program of developmental evolution that seeks to explain the patterns of phenotypic diversity. It offers a mechanistic developmental and evolutionary explanation of the evolution of body plans and the origin of character identities. It also examines the difference between the origin of homologs (that is, novelties) and their modification by natural selection (that is, adaptation); the limits of homology, focusing on the lack of individuality of body parts; homologous genes; characters and character states; variational modalities; character identity and repeated body parts; and character swarms. Finally, it considers alternative conceptualizations of homology, conceptual liberalism, and how to sort patterns of morphological variation.

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Ancient Genomics of Modern Humans: The First Decade

Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics ◽

10.1146/annurev-genom-083117-021749 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 381-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Pontus Skoglund ◽

Iain Mathieson

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Natural Selection ◽

Phenotypic Diversity ◽

Modern Human ◽

Modern Humans ◽

Human Genomes ◽

African Populations ◽

History Of ◽

Out Of Africa ◽

Genomic Basis

The first decade of ancient genomics has revolutionized the study of human prehistory and evolution. We review new insights based on prehistoric modern human genomes, including greatly increased resolution of the timing and structure of the out-of-Africa expansion, the diversification of present-day non-African populations, and the earliest expansions of those populations into Eurasia and America. Prehistoric genomes now document population transformations on every inhabited continent—in particular the effect of agricultural expansions in Africa, Europe, and Oceania—and record a history of natural selection that shapes present-day phenotypic diversity. Despite these advances, much remains unknown, in particular about the genomic histories of Asia (the most populous continent) and Africa (the continent that contains the most genetic diversity). Ancient genomes from these and other regions, integrated with a growing understanding of the genomic basis of human phenotypic diversity, will be in focus during the next decade of research in the field.

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