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Temperature-driven heterochrony as a main evolutionary response to climate changes in conodonts.
- Source :
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences; 10/26/2022, Vol. 289 Issue 1985, p1-10, 10p
- Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- Can we predict the evolutionary response of organisms to climate changes? The direction of greatest intraspecific phenotypic variance is thought to correspond to an 'evolutionary line of least resistance', i.e. a taxon's phenotype is expected to evolve along that general direction, if not constrained otherwise. In particular, heterochrony, whereby the timing or rate of developmental processes are modified, has often been invoked to describe evolutionary trajectories and it may be advantageous to organisms when rapid adaptation is critical. Yet, to date, little is known empirically as to which covariation patterns, whether static allometry, as measured in adult forms only, or ontogenetic allometry, the basis for heterochrony, may be prevalent in what circumstances. Here, we quantify the morphology of segminiplanate conodont elements during two distinct time intervals separated by more than 130 Myr: the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary and the Carnian-Norian boundary (Late Triassic). We evidence that the corresponding species share similar patterns of intraspecific static allometry. Yet, during both crises, conodont evolution was decoupled from this common evolutionary line of least resistance. Instead, it followed heterochrony-like trajectories that furthermore appear as driven by ocean temperature. This may have implications for our interpretation of conodonts' and past marine ecosystems' response to environmental perturbations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- CONODONTS
ECOLOGICAL disturbances
OCEAN temperature
MARINE ecology
ALLOMETRY
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09628452
- Volume :
- 289
- Issue :
- 1985
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 159864162
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0614