Evolutionary bedfellows: Reconstructing the ancestral state of autotomy and regeneration

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Some form of regeneration occurs in all lifeforms and extends from single-cell organisms to humans. The degree to which regenerative ability is distributed across different taxa, however, is harder to ascertain given the potential for phylogenetic constraint or inertia, and adaptive processes to shape this pattern. Here, we examine the phylogenetic history of regeneration in two groups where the trait has been well-studied: arthropods and reptiles. Because autotomy is often present alongside regeneration in these groups, we performed ancestral state reconstructions for both traits to more precisely assess the timing of their origins and the degree to which these traits coevolve. Using an ancestral trait reconstruction, we find that autotomy and regeneration were present at the base of the arthropod and reptile trees. We also find that when autotomy is lost it does not re-evolve easily. Lastly, we find that the distribution of regeneration is intimately connected to autotomy with the association being stronger in reptiles than in arthropods. Although these patterns suggest that decoupling autotomy and regeneration at a broad phylogenetic scale may be difficult, the available data provides useful insight into their entanglement. Ultimately, our reconstructions provide the important groundwork to explore how selection may have played a role during the loss of regeneration in specific lineages.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)94-115
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution
Volume336
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC

Funding

We thank all members of the Seifert lab for insightful discussions. AWS is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office for International Science and Engineering (OISE; IOS #1353713) and from the National Institute of Musculoskeletal, Arthritis, and Skin Diseases (NIAMS; R01AR070313). JVC is supported by NSF CAREER Award #1846260. The content in this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. We thank all members of the Seifert lab for insightful discussions. AWS is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office for International Science and Engineering (OISE; IOS #1353713) and from the National Institute of Musculoskeletal, Arthritis, and Skin Diseases (NIAMS; R01AR070313). JVC is supported by NSF CAREER Award #1846260. The content in this article is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation (NSF)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesR01AR070313, 1846260
Office of International Science and EngineeringIOS #1353713

    Keywords

    • ancestral state reconstruction
    • arthropod
    • autotomy
    • phylogenetic constraint/inertia
    • regeneration
    • squamate reptiles

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
    • Molecular Medicine
    • Animal Science and Zoology
    • Genetics
    • Developmental Biology

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