Ontogeny, anatomy, and the problem of homology: Carl Gegenbaur and the American tradition of cell lineage studies

Summary In this paper we analyze Carl Gegenbaur’s conception of the relationship between embryology (“Ontogenie”) and comparative anatomy and his related ideas about homology. We argue that Gegenbaur’s conviction of the primacy of comparative anatomy and his careful consideration of caenogenesis led him to a more balanced view about the relationship between ontogeny and phylogeny than his good friend Ernst Haeckel. We also argue that Gegenbaur’s ideas about the centrality of comparative anatomy and his definitions of homology actually laid the conceptual foundations for Hans Spemann’s (1915) later analysis of homology. We also analyze Gegenbaur’s reception in the United States and how the discussions between E.B. Wilson and Edwin Conklin about the role of the “embryological criterion of homology” and the latter’s argument for an even earlier concept of cellular homology reflect the recurring theme of preformism in ontogeny, a theme that finds its modern equivalent in various genetic definitions of homology, only recently challenged by the emerging synthesis of evolutionary developmental biology. Finally, we conclude that Gegenbaur’s own careful methodological principles can serve as an important model for proponents of present day “evo-devo”, especially with respect to the integration of ontogeny with phylogeny embedded in comparative anatomy.     

How Development May Direct Evolution

A framework is presented in which the role ofdevelopmental rules in phenotypic evolution canbe studied for some simple situations. Usingtwo different implicit models of development,characterized by different developmental mapsfrom genotypes to phenotypes, it is shown bysimulation that developmental rules and driftcan result in directional phenotypic evolutionwithout selection. For both models thesimulations show that the critical parameterthat drives the final phenotypic distributionis the cardinality of the set of genotypes thatmap to each phenotype. Details of thedevelopmental map do not matter. If phenotypesare randomly assigned to genotypes, the lastresult can also be proved analytically.     

Stem anatomy and development of inter- and intraxylary phloem in Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne. (Asclepiadaceae)

Modification of external morphology and internal structure of plants is a key feature of their successful survival in extreme habitats. They adapt to arid habitats not only by modifying their leaves, but also show several modifications in their conducting system. Therefore, the present study is aimed to investigate the pattern of secondary growth in Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne., (Asclepiadaceae), one such species growing in Kachchh district, an arid region of Gujarat State. A single ring of vascular cambium, responsible for radial growth, divided bidirectionally and formed the secondary xylem centripetally and the phloem centrifugally. After a short period of secondary xylem differentiation, small arcs of cambium began to form secondary phloem centripetally instead of secondary xylem. After a short duration of such secondary phloem formation, these segments of cambium resumed their normal function to produce secondary xylem internally. Thus, the phloem strands became embedded within the secondary xylem and formed interxylary phloem islands. Such a recurrent behavior of the vascular cambium resulted in the formation of several patches of interxylary phloem islands. In thick stems the earlier formed non-conducting interxylary phloem showed heavy accumulation of callose on the sieve plates followed by their crushing in response to the addition of new sieve elements. Development of intraxylary phloem is also observed from the cells situated on the pith margin. As secondary growth progresses further, small arcs of internal cambium get initiated between the protoxylem and intraxylary phloem. In the secondary xylem, some of the vessels are exceptionally thick-walled, which may be associated with dry habitats in order to protect the vessel from collapsing during the dryer part of the year. The inter- and intraxylary phloem may also be an adaptive feature to prevent the sieve elements to become non-conducting during summer when the temperature is much higher.     

云南轿子山不同海拔急尖长苞冷杉径向生长动态及其低温阈值

环境对树木的功能和生存具有至关重要的意义, 但环境因素影响树木发育的过程仍有待探究。树木径向生长动态监测是深刻了解树木生长状况及其对气候变化响应的重要手段。该研究以云南轿子山不同海拔树线树种急尖长苞冷杉(Abies georgei var. smithii)为研究对象, 对其年内径向生长动态进行监测, 以期明晰树木径向生长各阶段起止时间的海拔差异, 分析不同海拔树木形成层活动和木质部分化对温度的响应, 辨析树木径向生长的低温阈值。结果表明: (1)海拔越高, 径向生长开始的时间越晚, 结束越早, 生长季缩短。海拔每上升100 m, 急尖长苞冷杉径向生长的开始时间推迟4.7 d, 结束时间提前7.2 d, 生长季缩短12.8 d; (2) 3个海拔急尖长苞冷杉的径向生长具有相似的低温阈值(约5 ℃), 温度控制形成层活动的开始与木质部分化的结束; (3)不同海拔急尖长苞冷杉形成层的细胞分裂活动均在温度较高时(夏至日前后)减弱。 形成层活动的结束与海拔引起的温度变化关系较弱, 光周期可能参与了形成层活动结束的调控, 以确保当年新生细胞能够在冻害来临前完成木质化。该研究结果有助于加深树木生长动态对气候变化响应机制的认识, 为更好地适应和应对气候变化提供科学依据。     

Structure of the vascular cambium of varying age and its derivative tissues in the stem of Ficus rumphii Blume

AJMAL, S. & IQBAL, M., 1992. Structure of the vascular cambium of varying age and its derivative tissues in the stem of Ficus rumphii Blume. The cambial cells of Ficus rumphii and their derivatives vary in size and number with the age of the tree. The fusiform initials, vessel elements, sieve-tube members, xylem fibres and phloem fibres are relatively short in the terminal part of the stem axis, consistently longer down the stem reaching a maximum, and short again in the main trunk. The width of the respective cells shows a similar variation. The ray cell initials increase both in number and size, and form rays of varying dimensions. Uniseriate and biseriate cambial rays are abundant, while multiseriate rays are especially sparse in the young shoot. The proportion of uni- and biseriate rays falls in the lower part of the stem whereas that of multiseriate rays increases. Likewise, short cambial rays are abundant in young branches but their frequency decreases in the trunk region, leading to a rise of the tall ray population. The rays in the phloem and xylem regions reflect a similar variation pattern with certain fluctuations. The overall proportion of the rays increases in the older part of the axis, reaching a maximum tangential area in the trunk. The transectional area of vessel elements remains more or less constant down to the base after an initial increase in the terminal region, while the sieve-tube proportion tends to be constant in the basal region after a consistent gain from the tree top basewards.