The placenta as a model for understanding the origin and evolution of vertebrate organs

OW Griffith, GP Wagner - Nature ecology & evolution, 2017‏ - nature.com
How organs originate and evolve is a question fundamental to understanding the evolution
of complex multicellular life forms. Vertebrates have a relatively standard body plan with …

The evolution and physiology of male pregnancy in syngnathid fishes

CM Whittington, CR Friesen - Biological Reviews, 2020‏ - Wiley Online Library
The seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (Syngnathidae) are among the few vertebrates
in which pregnant males incubate develo** embryos. Syngnathids are popular in studies …

Embryo implantation evolved from an ancestral inflammatory attachment reaction

OW Griffith, AR Chavan, S Protopapas… - Proceedings of the …, 2017‏ - pnas.org
The molecular changes that support implantation in eutherian mammals are necessary to
establish pregnancy. In marsupials, pregnancy is relatively short, and although a placenta …

How mountains shape biodiversity: The role of the Andes in biogeography, diversification, and reproductive biology in South America's most species-rich lizard …

D Esquerré, IG Brennan, RA Catullo, F Torres-Pérez… - …, 2019‏ - academic.oup.com
Testing hypotheses on drivers of clade evolution and trait diversification provides insight into
many aspects of evolutionary biology. Often, studies investigate only intrinsic biological …

SquamBase—A database of squamate (Reptilia: Squamata) traits

S Meiri - Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2024‏ - Wiley Online Library
Motivation I present a database that contains information on multiple key traits for all 11,744
recognised species of squamates worldwide. The database encompasses key traits and a …

A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates

A Zimin, SV Zimin, R Shine, L Avila… - Global Ecology and …, 2022‏ - Wiley Online Library
Aim Viviparity has evolved more times in squamates than in any other vertebrate group;
therefore, squamates offer an excellent model system in which to study the patterns, drivers …

Know your farmer: ancient origins and multiple independent domestications of ambrosia beetle fungal cultivars

D Vanderpool, RR Bracewell… - Molecular …, 2018‏ - Wiley Online Library
Bark and ambrosia beetles are highly specialized weevils (Curculionidae) that have
established diverse symbioses with fungi, most often from the order Ophiostomatales …

The functional genetic architecture of egg-laying and live-bearing reproduction in common lizards

H Recknagel, M Carruthers, AA Yurchenko… - Nature Ecology & …, 2021‏ - nature.com
All amniotes reproduce either by egg-laying (oviparity), which is ancestral to vertebrates or
by live-bearing (viviparity), which has evolved many times independently. However, the …

Extended embryo retention and viviparity in the first amniotes

B Jiang, Y He, A Elsler, S Wang, JN Keating… - Nature Ecology & …, 2023‏ - nature.com
The amniotic egg with its complex fetal membranes was a key innovation in vertebrate
evolution that enabled the great diversification of reptiles, birds and mammals. It is debated …

[PDF][PDF] Different genes are recruited during convergent evolution of pregnancy and the placenta

CSP Foster, JU Van Dyke, MB Thompson… - Molecular Biology …, 2022‏ - academic.oup.com
The repeated evolution of the same traits in distantly related groups (convergent evolution)
raises a key question in evolutionary biology: do the same genes underpin convergent …