What is it about?
The vertebrate skull is a complex and fundamental morphological system composed of multiple structural and functional units. The skeletal and sensory systems result from developmental and evolutionary integration. We used the skull of a primitive living fish to discover modular interaction and organisation between supporting dermal bones and sensory canals. A hierarchical modular organisation is suggested.
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Why is it important?
Our study is the first to test for two types of modularity simultaneously with two different methods. Developmental modularity was tested at the level of groups of pores, canals and bones by investigating the patterning of groups of pores and fluctuating asymmetry. Variational modularity was tested at the level of canals and bones. Modularity was detected at two hierarchical levels: (1) groups of pores and (2) canals.
Perspectives
This publication is part of one of my long-term objectives that is to discover evo-devo patterns and processes in the history of lower vertebrates.
Dr Richard Cloutier
Universite du Quebec a Rimouski
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Building blocks of a fish head: Developmental and variational modularity in a complex system, Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B Molecular and Developmental Evolution, July 2015, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22639.
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