On the archetype and homologies of the vertebrate skeleton

Owen, Richard; Gull, William

doi:10.5962/bhl.title.118611

Cited by 365 publications

(142 citation statements)

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“…A homolog is not only a part of the phenotype of a particular species but is defined by comparison with other species as "the same organ in different animals" (Owen, 1848; as quoted by Mayr [1982 p. 464]). Thus, the concept of a homolog is slightly more abstract than just a part of the phenotype.…”

Section: What Is a Biological Homology Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A vertebrate brain is composed of the same five main units in all vertebrates, and there is no question that we are actually dealing with "the same organ" in a fish and a rat. To rephase this observation, the supracellular building blocks of higher animals are "homologs," which means that we find "the same organ in different animals under every variety ofform and function" (Owen, 1848; as quoted by Mayr [1982 p. 464…”

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confidence: 94%

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The Origin of Morphological Characters and the Biological Basis of Homology

Wagner

1989

Evolution

169

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Abstract, -A homolog is a part of the phenotype that is homologous to equivalent parts in other species. A biological homology concept is expected to explain three properties of homologs: I) the conservation of those features that are used to define a homolog, 2) the individualization of the homolog with regard to the rest ofthe body, and 3) the uniqueness of homologs, i.e., their specificity for monophyletic groups. The main obstacle to describing a mechanistic basis for homology is the variability of the developmental pathways of undoubtedly homologous characters. However, not all aspects of the developmental pathway are ofequal importance. The only organizational features of the developmental system that matter are those that have been historically acquired and cause developmental constraints on the further evolutionary modification of the characters. Two main factors contribute to historically acquired developmental constraints: generative rules of pattern formation and ontogenetic networks. In particular, hierarchical and cyclical inductive networks have the required properties to explain homology. How common such networks are is an open empirical question. The development and variation of pectoral fin hooks in blenniid fishes is presented as a model for the study of a simple ontogenetic network.

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Section: What Is a Biological Homology Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 94%

The Origin of Morphological Characters and the Biological Basis of Homology

Wagner

1989

Evolution

169

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“…It was developed in the first half of the 19 th century in comparative morphology and embryology (Le Guyader 2004;Owen 1848). …”

Section: Amentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of homology for biology and philosophy

Brigandt

Griffiths

2007

Biol Philos

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Homology is one of the most important concepts in biology (de Beer 1971;Donoghue 1992).Having been introduced in pre-Darwinian comparative biology, it continues to be fundamental to taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolutionary biology. In recent times it has come to play an important role in molecular and developmental biology. In addition to figuring prominently in biological practice, the notion of homology is the subject of extensive theoretical reflection among biologists (Bock and Cardew 1999; Hall 1994;Wagner 2001b).Curiously though, homology has been discussed only sparsely by philosophers.3 The contributions to this special issue attempt to highlight the importance of homology for philosophy as well as biology. Homology is germane to such philosophical issues as the individuation of biological natural kinds, and the patterns of inductive reasoning in the life sciences. Given the possibility of individuating cognitive kinds and mental phenomena in terms of homology (rather than their evolutionary function), the idea of homology has implications for the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, implications that are explored in the contributions of Marc Ereshefsky and Mohan Matthen.While species have been extensively discussed by philosophers and have served as the prime examples of biological natural kinds, homology is an equally important notion of natural kindhood in the biological sciences (Brigandt 2002, in press;Rieppel 2006;Wagner 1996, ( ), Brigandt (2002, Griffiths (1994Griffiths ( , 1996Griffiths ( , 2006, Matthen (1998Matthen ( , 2000, and Sober (1999). THE IMPORTANCE OF HOMOLOGY FOR BIOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY 2001a). Biologists partition an organism into homologues which are presumed to represent natural units of biological organization because they can be reidentified in other organisms and other species (Griffiths, this issue). A homologous character shares many biological properties in the different organisms in which it occurs, and there is a causal basis for this sharing of properties (common ancestry and shared developmental mechanisms). These two features, a cluster of properties and a causal basis for the co-occurrence of those properties, are the two hallmarks of natural kinds (Boyd 1991;Hacking 1991; Wilson et al., in press). In the course of evolution, a character typically undergoes modification, so that homologues are Over the past few decades there has been an intensification of interest in the concept of homology. Its scope of application has increased and new theoretical interpretations of homology have been proposed. In addition to traditional morphological characters, processes and functions can be homologised (Amundson and Lauder 1994;Gilbert and Bolker 2001;Gilbert et al. 1996;Lauder 1994), and behavioural patterns and cognitive features are increasingly recognized as homologous across species (see Ereshefsky, this issue; Matthen, this issue). Following the rise of molecular biology, genes and proteins came to be homologized, leading to the field of molecular evolution and the practice...

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“…while swinging its [hind]limbs forward ' (p. 313). The weight-bearing role of the tail has been associated with the development of chevron bones, which provide attachment sites for flexor musculature in the kangaroo (Owen 1848(Owen , 1876Flower 1885;Parsons 1896). The relationship between chevron bone development and ventral flexor musculature has been reported in other mammal groups such as aardvarks (Endo et al 2012), prehensile-tailed New World monkeys (Chang and Ruch 1947;Organ 2010), cetaceans (Murie 1870;Howell 1971) and ground sloths (Flower 1885).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Muscular anatomy of the tail of the western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus

2014

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Abstract. The western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus, is a large-bodied kangaroo that engages in pentapedal locomotion at low speeds and bipedal hopping at high speeds. The tail is thought to have functional roles in both of these modes of locomotion. In pentapedal locomotion the tail acts as a 'fifth limb' to support the body weight together with the forelimbs while the hind limbs are drawn forward. The tail has also been suggested to have a role as a counterbalance during bipedal hopping. On the basis of these functional roles for the tail in locomotion, the caudal musculature of the western grey kangaroo was dissected and described in this study. The arrangement of the caudal musculature showed particular adaptations for the role of the tail in both pentapedal locomotion and bipedal hopping.

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On the archetype and homologies of the vertebrate skeleton

Cited by 365 publications

References 0 publications

The Origin of Morphological Characters and the Biological Basis of Homology

The Origin of Morphological Characters and the Biological Basis of Homology

The importance of homology for biology and philosophy

Muscular anatomy of the tail of the western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus

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