New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates
IntroductionEuchelicerata is a diverse group encompassing Xiphosura, Chasmataspidida, Eurypterida, and Arachnida. Xiphosura represents an extant group with a rich fossil record dating back to the Ordovician period. Xiphosurans are often referred to as “living fossils” due to their seemingly unchange...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1270429/full |
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| author | Lorenzo Lustri Jonathan B. Antcliffe Farid Saleh Carolin Haug Lukáš Laibl Russell J. Garwood Russell J. Garwood Joachim T. Haug Allison C. Daley |
| author_facet | Lorenzo Lustri Jonathan B. Antcliffe Farid Saleh Carolin Haug Lukáš Laibl Russell J. Garwood Russell J. Garwood Joachim T. Haug Allison C. Daley |
| author_sort | Lorenzo Lustri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionEuchelicerata is a diverse group encompassing Xiphosura, Chasmataspidida, Eurypterida, and Arachnida. Xiphosura represents an extant group with a rich fossil record dating back to the Ordovician period. Xiphosurans are often referred to as “living fossils” due to their seemingly unchanged morphology over millions of years. Numerous studies have contributed to the understanding of xiphosuran development, revealing changes in the timing and rate of their growth. These changes have been mainly associated with the freshwater invasion of early xiphosuran forms. However, limited research has been conducted to compare the developmental patterns of xiphosurans with other euchelicerates inhabiting aquatic environments.MethodsThis study compares the developmental patterns of xiphosurans with that of the fossil clades of eurypterids and chasmataspidids. By incorporating environmental and phylogenetic information within ancestral state reconstruction analyses, and then testing different evolutionary scenarios, the influence of the environment on the evolution of developmental patterns of euchelicerates is examined.ResultsThe results confirm that the developmental changes in Xiphosura throughout their evolutionary history are correlated with the exploitation of different environments. However, the inclusion of eurypterids and chasmataspidids indicates that the entirety of changes seen for Xiphosura represent only a small portion of the total variability recovered for euchelicerates.DiscussionOur results emphasize the importance of considering phylogenetic relationships and outgroup comparisons to understand the evolutionary dynamics of Xiphosura. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:10:12Z |
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| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T20:10:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-36cabcea31014813969bf9ef386830642023-10-03T11:50:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2023-10-011110.3389/fevo.2023.12704291270429New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil eucheliceratesLorenzo Lustri0Jonathan B. Antcliffe1Farid Saleh2Carolin Haug3Lukáš Laibl4Russell J. Garwood5Russell J. Garwood6Joachim T. Haug7Allison C. Daley8Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandInstitute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandInstitute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandBiocenter, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Munich, GermanyCzech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geology, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United KingdomThe Natural History Museum, London, United KingdomBiocenter, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Munich, GermanyInstitute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandIntroductionEuchelicerata is a diverse group encompassing Xiphosura, Chasmataspidida, Eurypterida, and Arachnida. Xiphosura represents an extant group with a rich fossil record dating back to the Ordovician period. Xiphosurans are often referred to as “living fossils” due to their seemingly unchanged morphology over millions of years. Numerous studies have contributed to the understanding of xiphosuran development, revealing changes in the timing and rate of their growth. These changes have been mainly associated with the freshwater invasion of early xiphosuran forms. However, limited research has been conducted to compare the developmental patterns of xiphosurans with other euchelicerates inhabiting aquatic environments.MethodsThis study compares the developmental patterns of xiphosurans with that of the fossil clades of eurypterids and chasmataspidids. By incorporating environmental and phylogenetic information within ancestral state reconstruction analyses, and then testing different evolutionary scenarios, the influence of the environment on the evolution of developmental patterns of euchelicerates is examined.ResultsThe results confirm that the developmental changes in Xiphosura throughout their evolutionary history are correlated with the exploitation of different environments. However, the inclusion of eurypterids and chasmataspidids indicates that the entirety of changes seen for Xiphosura represent only a small portion of the total variability recovered for euchelicerates.DiscussionOur results emphasize the importance of considering phylogenetic relationships and outgroup comparisons to understand the evolutionary dynamics of Xiphosura.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1270429/fullEuchelicerataXiphosurastasisontogenyevolutionary rateancestral state |
| spellingShingle | Lorenzo Lustri Jonathan B. Antcliffe Farid Saleh Carolin Haug Lukáš Laibl Russell J. Garwood Russell J. Garwood Joachim T. Haug Allison C. Daley New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Euchelicerata Xiphosura stasis ontogeny evolutionary rate ancestral state |
| title | New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates |
| title_full | New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates |
| title_fullStr | New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates |
| title_full_unstemmed | New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates |
| title_short | New perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates |
| title_sort | new perspectives on the evolutionary history of xiphosuran development through comparison with other fossil euchelicerates |
| topic | Euchelicerata Xiphosura stasis ontogeny evolutionary rate ancestral state |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2023.1270429/full |
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