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Brain evolution and development: adaptation, allometry and constraint

Montgomery, S.; Mundy, N.; Barton, R.A.

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Authors

S. Montgomery

N. Mundy



Abstract

Phenotypic traits are products of two processes: evolution and development. But how do these processes combine to produce integrated phenotypes? Comparative studies identify consistent patterns of covariation, or allometries, between brain and body size, and between brain components, indicating the presence of significant constraints limiting independent evolution of separate parts. These constraints are poorly understood, but in principle could be either developmental or functional. The developmental constraints hypothesis suggests that individual components (brain and body size, or individual brain components) tend to evolve together because natural selection operates on relatively simple developmental mechanisms that affect the growth of all parts in a concerted manner. The functional constraints hypothesis suggests that correlated change reflects the action of selection on distributed functional systems connecting the different sub-components, predicting more complex patterns of mosaic change at the level of the functional systems and more complex genetic and developmental mechanisms. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive but make different predictions. We review recent genetic and neurodevelopmental evidence, concluding that functional rather than developmental constraints are the main cause of the observed patterns.

Citation

Montgomery, S., Mundy, N., & Barton, R. (2016). Brain evolution and development: adaptation, allometry and constraint. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1838), Article 20160433. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.0433

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 19, 2016
Online Publication Date Sep 14, 2016
Publication Date Sep 14, 2016
Deposit Date Aug 25, 2016
Publicly Available Date Sep 14, 2017
Journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Print ISSN 0962-8452
Electronic ISSN 1471-2954
Publisher The Royal Society
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 283
Issue 1838
Article Number 20160433
DOI https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.0433
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1398424

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