Genetic basis for the emergence of novelties in vertebrates' evolution

Current data concerning the mechanisms of the emergence of novel organs, structures and characters in evolution of vertebrates are briefly reviewed. There are various patterns of these evolutionary changes, e. g. the transformation in size and shape of organs and structures, differentiation of serially repeated homologues, establishment of new connections between previously existed components. Heterochronies and heterotopies usually underlie these transformations. Some new characters originate de novo with no obvious homologues in ancestral lineages. Examples of such processes are presented and the proposed definitions of evolutionary novelties are discussed. Recent studies suggest that evolutionary novelties arise due to the recruitment of the existing genes into the new regulatory networks.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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