On the origins of morphological disparity and its diverse developmental bases

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Abstract
It has been repeatedly claimed that morphological novelties are an unresolved problem in evolutionary theory. Several definitions of novelty exist but most emphasize that novelties imply qualitative changes on the phenotype and not the quantitative gradual changes favored in the neo-Darwinian approach to evolutionary theory. This article discusses how the concept of novelty is used to describe aspects of morphological evolution that are not satisfactorily explained under the modern synthesis. In this article, it is suggested that there is a repertoire of morphological changes rather than two discrete qualitatively different types of morphological change. How these different types of morphological changes can be understood from the diversity of developmental mechanisms existing in animal development is explored. Specifically, it is proposed that animal morphology and its variation can be understood from the spatial patterns produced by a set of basic developmental mechanisms and their combination. Some specific examples of these kinds of morphologic changes are explained. BioEssays 28: 1112–1122, 2006.

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