Environmental Oxygen is a Key Modulator of Development and Evolution: From Molecules to Ecology

Oxygen is a key regulator of both development and homeostasis and a promising candidate to bridge the influence of the environment and the evolution of new traits. To clarify the various ways in which oxygen may modulate embryogenesis, its effects are reviewed at distinct organizational levels. First, the role of pathways that sense dioxygen levels and reactive oxygen species are reviewed. Then, the effects of microenvironmental oxygen on metabolism, stemness, and differentiation throughout embryogenesis are discussed. Last, the interplay between ecology and development are reexamined with a focus on the evolution of tetrapods, including during the emergence of a novel mechanism that shapes amniote limbs—interdigital cell death. Both genetic and environmental components work together during the formation of organisms, highlighting the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for understanding the evolution of new traits.