scholarly journals No relationship between vertebral column shifts and limb fluctuating asymmetry in human foetuses

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3359
Author(s):  
Clara M.A. ten Broek ◽  
Jessica Bots ◽  
Marianna Bugiani ◽  
Frietson Galis ◽  
Stefan Van Dongen
Keyword(s):  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Vertebral Column ◽  
Congenital Abnormalities ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Developmental Processes ◽  
Axial Patterning ◽  
Perfect Symmetry ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Human Foetuses

Disturbance from the normal developmental trajectory of a trait during growth—the so-called developmental instability—can be observed morphologically through phenodeviants and subtle deviations from perfect symmetry (fluctuating asymmetry). This study investigates the relationship between phenodeviance in the human vertebral column (as a result of axial patterning defects) and limb fluctuating asymmetry. Since both types of markers of developmental instability have been found associated with congenital abnormalities in humans, we anticipate a relationship between them if the concept of developmental instability, measured through either phenodeviants or asymmetry, would reflect an organism-wide process. Yet we did not find any support for this hypothesis. We argue that the vast differences in the developmental processes involved in both systems renders these two markers of developmental instability unrelated, in spite of their associations with other congenital abnormalities. Our results thus contribute to the growing awareness that developmental instability is not an organism-wide property.

scholarly journals Preprint: Kordsmeyer & Penke, "The association of three indicators of developmental instability with mating success in humans"

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Kordsmeyer ◽  
Lars Penke
Keyword(s):  
Mating Success ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Equivalence Testing ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Perfect Symmetry ◽  
Minor Physical Anomalies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Evolutionary Fitness

Developmental instability (DI) has been proposed to relate negatively to aspects of evolutionary fitness, like mating success. One suggested indicator is fluctuating asymmetry (FA), random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral bodily traits. A meta-analytically robust negative association between FA and number of lifetime sexual partners has been previously shown in men and women. We examined the relationship between bodily FA across twelve traits and indicators of quantitative mating success in 284 individuals (141 males, age 19-30 years). Two further indicators of DI, minor physical anomalies (MPAs) and asymmetry in palmar atd angles, were also assessed. For men, no significant associations were detected, whereas for women, unexpected positive relationships of FA with the number of lifetime sexual partners and one-night stands emerged. Thus, in a large sample and using a more highly aggregated FA index, our study fails to replicate previous findings, though equivalence testing also did not support deviation from previous meta-analytic estimates, especially for men. No associations were found for MPAs and FA in atd angles in either sex.

scholarly journals Light intensity affects leaf morphology in a wild population of Adenostyles alliariae (Asteraceae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
Bailey Francis ◽  
Robert Tucker Gilman
Keyword(s):  
Light Intensity ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Leaf Surface ◽  
Wild Population ◽  
Light Stress ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
Light Conditions ◽  
Leaf Surface Area ◽  
The Relationship

Low light conditions can impose environmental stress on plants, and plants often respond adaptively by increasing their leaf area. Light stress on plants can also result in developmental instability, which can manifest as increased fluctuating asymmetry in leaves or other organs. The relationship between light conditions and fluctuating asymmetry has been documented in experimental populations, but has been less frequently observed in the wild. Here, we studied how leaf surface area and fluctuating asymmetry correlate with light intensity in a wild population of Adenostyles alliariae (Asteraceae). We found strong evidence that leaf surface area increases and weak evidence that fluctuating asymmetry increases as light intensity decreases. Our results help to elucidate the relationship between light stress and developmental instability under naturally occurring conditions.

scholarly journals Developmental instability in wild Nigerian olive baboons (Papio anubis)

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11832
Author(s):  
Kara C. Hoover ◽  
Emily Gelipter ◽  
Volker Sommer ◽  
Kris Kovarovic
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
Asymmetry Index ◽  
Permanent Dentition ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Directional Asymmetry ◽  
Papio Anubis ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Males And Females

Background Developmental instability in archaeological samples can be detected through analysis of skeletal and dental remains. During life, disruptions to biological internal homeostasis that occur during growth and development redirect bodily resources to returning to homeostasis and away from normal processes such as symmetrical development. Because dental enamel does not remodel in life, any deviations from normal development are left behind. Even subtle disturbances to developmental trajectory may be detected in asymmetrical development of traits, specifically a random variation in sides termed fluctuating asymmetry. Human dental fluctuating asymmetry studies are common, but here we investigate the permanent dentition of a non-human primate Papio anubis, for potential fluctuating asymmetry relative to sex, weaning, and reproductive maturity. The sample stems from an outlier population that lives in the wettest and most humid habitat of any studied baboon group. Methods The skulls of adult baboons were collected after their natural death in Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria. The permanent dentition of antimeric teeth (paired) were measured for maximum length and breadth using standard methods. The metrics were analyzed to assess the presence of fluctuating asymmetry in adult permanent mandibular and maxillary dentition. Measurement error and other forms of asymmetry (antisymmetry, directional asymmetry) were considered and dental measures expressing true fluctuating asymmetry were used to address three research questions. Results Males exhibit greater fluctuating asymmetry than females, suggesting that males experience greater overall instability during the developmental period. While weaning is not more stressful than other life history stages for males and females (using the first molar fluctuating asymmetry index as a proxy compared to other teeth), it is more stressful for females than males. The onset of reproduction is also not more stressful than other life history stages for males and females (using the third molar fluctuating asymmetry index as a proxy compared to other teeth), but it is more stressful for males than females. We explore possible explanations for these findings in the discussion.

Fluctuating Asymmetry as a Measure of Ecological Stress in Rousettus ampexicaudatus (a Fruit Bat), in Bohol, Philippines

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
REIZL P. JOSE ◽  
KAY P. RAMOS ◽  
CRISTINE J. GONZAGA ◽  
SHARON ROSE TABUGO
Keyword(s):  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Biological Indicators ◽  
Biological Species ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Ecological Stress ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Perfect Symmetry

Bats are biological species that can be influenced by environmental changes. The nature and understanding of the adaptation and survival of bats as biological indicators of the health of the ecosystem is essential for preservation and conservation strategies. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) are fine and random deviations from perfect symmetry of organism’s morphology. It is considered as a reliable factor for measuring developmental instability because it reflects both genetic and environmental stresses especially in endangered populations. Hypothesis assumes that FA has costs and reflects the degree of stress and quality of individuals herewith, a direct relationship between FA and developmental instability. The study determined the developmental instability via fluctuating asymmetry of Rousettus ampexicaudatus, a fruit bat. Using landmark method for shape asymmetry, anatomical and mathematical landmarks were used and analyzed using Symmetry and Asymmetry in Geometric Data (SAGe) program. Results yield highly significant FA for both populations examined (Tamboco cave & claise cave, Bohol). However, population from claise cave in Nagtuang of loon has relatively higher FA and percentage of variation based on the Principal component Analysis (PcA). Thus, the bat population in claise cave experienced a higher degree of stress. Keywords - Animal Ecology, fluctuating asymmetry, SAGE program, experimentaldesign, Philippines

PLOIDY DOES NOT AFFECT FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY IN THE CARPENTER BEE (HYMENOPTERA: ANTHOPHORIDAE)

2000 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
pp. 333-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin-ichi Kudo ◽  
Sachiko Mori
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Developmental Stability ◽  
Individual Quality ◽  
Carpenter Bee ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Perfect Symmetry ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Relationship

Random deviations from perfect symmetry in bilateral traits, fluctuating asymmetry, are thought to reflect developmental stability: the ability of an individual to buffer against genetic and (or) environmental stress during development (Palmer and Strobeck 1986). Fluctuating asymmetry is often regarded as an indicator of individual quality or fitness (Møller and Swaddle 1997); however, factors underlying fluctuating asymmetry are not well understood (Markow 1995). It has been suggested that heterozygosity, ploidy, and genomic coadaptation (hybridization) are genetic factors affecting the magnitude of fluctuating asymmetry (Palmer and Strobeck 1986; Markow 1995; Møller and Swaddle 1997). Insects having a haplodiploid sex-determining mechanism present opportunities to examine the relationship between ploidy and fluctuating asymmetry. In hymenopterans, females are diploid and males haploid. Thus the effects of ploidy can be investigated by contrasting males and females within a population (e.g., Clarke 1997). Diploid females, in which deleterious recessives reducing developmental stability could be masked, may be expected to have smaller asymmetry than haploid males (e.g., Brückner 1976; Smith et al. 1997). In this paper, we compare the level of fluctuating asymmetry in forewing venation of males to that of females in the carpenter bee Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans Smith.

scholarly journals Fluctuating Asymmetry and Developmental Instability, a Guide to Best Practice

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
John H. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Error ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Environmental Stress ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
The Past ◽  
Size Scaling ◽  
Research Designs

Best practices in studies of developmental instability, as measured by fluctuating asymmetry, have developed over the past 60 years. Unfortunately, they are haphazardly applied in many of the papers submitted for review. Most often, research designs suffer from lack of randomization, inadequate replication, poor attention to size scaling, lack of attention to measurement error, and unrecognized mixtures of additive and multiplicative errors. Here, I summarize a set of best practices, especially in studies that examine the effects of environmental stress on fluctuating asymmetry.

scholarly journals Nature, Nurture, and Noise: Developmental Instability, Fluctuating Asymmetry, and the Causes of Phenotypic Variation

Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1204
Author(s):  
John H. Graham
Keyword(s):  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Deterministic Chaos ◽  
Monozygotic Twins ◽  
Developmental Instability ◽  
Nonlinear Feedback ◽  
Developmental Variation ◽  
Sewall Wright ◽  
Developmental Noise ◽  
And Behavior

Phenotypic variation arises from genetic and environmental variation, as well as random aspects of development. The genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) components of this variation have been appreciated since at least 1900. The random developmental component (noise) has taken longer for quantitative geneticists to appreciate. Here, I sketch the historical development of the concepts of random developmental noise and developmental instability, and its quantification via fluctuating asymmetry. The unsung pioneers in this story are Hugo DeVries (fluctuating variation, 1909), C. H. Danforth (random variation between monozygotic twins, 1919), and Sewall Wright (random developmental variation in piebald guinea pigs, 1920). The first pioneering study of fluctuating asymmetry, by Sumner and Huestis in 1921, is seldom mentioned, possibly because it failed to connect the observed random asymmetry with random developmental variation. This early work was then synthesized by Boris Astaurov in 1930 and Wilhelm Ludwig in 1932, and then popularized by Drosophila geneticists beginning with Kenneth Mather in 1953. Population phenogeneticists are still trying to understand the origins and behavior of random developmental variation. Some of the developmental noise represents true stochastic behavior of molecules and cells, while some represents deterministic chaos, nonlinear feedback, and symmetry breaking.

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