Testing for historical patterns of change: a case study with frog pectoral girdles
Testing for historical patterns of change: a case study with frog pectoral girdles
复制标题
测试历史变化模式：青蛙胸带案例研究
作者：
S. Emerson
进化形态学家和古生物学家长期以来一直质疑形态类型的分布是否存在普遍的历史模式。很少有研究严格解决这个问题。这项研究测试了解耦假设，该假设预测形态约束的数量会随着独立元素数量的减少而增加。选取8例青蛙喙上软骨历史性转变案例进行分析。通过形状三角分析确定，在独立导出的历史转变中也发生了类似的形态形状变化。这些结果支持了脱钩假说，并表明可能存在普遍的结构变化历史路径。这一发现对于进化形态学预测理论的发展非常重要。
Evolutionary morphologists and paleontologists have long questioned whether there are general historical patterns to the distribution of morphological types. Few studies have rigorously addressed that question. This study tests the decoupling hypothesis, which predicts an increase in the number of morphological constraints with a reduction in the number of independent elements. Eight cases of historical transformation of the epicoracoid cartilages of frogs were selected for analysis. Similar morphological shape changes occurred across the independently derived historical transformations as determined by a triangle analysis of shape. These results support the decoupling hypothesis and indicate that there may be generalized historical pathways of structural change. This finding is important for the development of a predictive theory in evolutionary morphology.