RUI: Anatomical transformation in Mammalia: Developmental Controls of Vertebral Column Evolution

Wellesley College, Wellesley Hills MA

Investigators

Abstract

Evolution requires both the generation of variation through the process of development and the sorting of that variation by natural selection. The principal investigator and her undergraduate students will use the methodologies and insights of molecular biology, systematics (phylogeny construction), comparative anatomy, and paleontology to address the ways that development has shaped and constrained the morphological diversification of the mammalian vertebral column over evolutionary time. Frequently observed categories of column variation have recently been linked to developmental disruptions of the processes of somite generation and axial pattern assignment. This linkage allows the generation of a database that will enable the researchers to identify the type, frequency, and phylogenetic location of critical developmental events in mammalian column evolution. The key morphological innovations the investigators will address are the differentiation of the column's component series, the introduction of constraint in cervical (neck) morphology, and the dramatic column transformations seen in three mammalian groups (sloths, manatees, whales) with unusual lifestyles. This project's primary significance lies in its contribution to our growing understanding of the role of development in evolution. Its secondary impact lies in its integration of undergraduate students into the process of formulating and investigating questions of animal design during the scope of their summer research program, independent study, and senior thesis research experiences.