Abstract
The study of the direction of morphological evolution requires understanding about which morphological variation is possible in each generation and which is selected by ecological factors. The former thing is not currently well understood. This talk exemplifies how understanding about the mechanisms of pattern formation during development can be used to explore this first question and the question of the relationship between phenotype and genotype. A model is presented that on the bases of experimental information in tooth development is able to reproduce subtle morphological multivariate variation in Lake Ladoga seal populations. From the model we can identify which specific developmental changes (at the level of signal transduction pathways) are more likely responsible for the observed multivariate populational variation. Interestingly few and clearly distinct developmental bases are identified for between individuals variation and within individuals serial variation (along the tooth row). This provides a method for the developmental ordination of morphological variation.
Isaac Salazar Ciudad
Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain