title: Toward a synthesis of developmental biology with evolutionary theory and ecology.
abstract: The evolutionary conservation of developmental mechanisms is a truism in biology, but few attempts have been made to integrate development with evolutionary theory and ecology. To work toward such a synthesis, we summarize studies in the nematode model Pristionchus pacificus, focusing on the development of the dauer, a stress-resistant, alternative larval stage. Integrative approaches combining molecular and genetic principles of development with natural variation and ecological studies in wild populations have identified a key role for a developmental switch mechanism in dauer development and evolution, one that involves the nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12. DAF-12 is a crucial regulator and convergence point for different signaling inputs, and its function is conserved among free-living and parasitic nematodes. Furthermore, DAF-12 is the target of regulatory loops that rely on novel or fast-evolving components to control the intraspecific competition of dauer larvae. We propose developmental switches as paradigms for understanding the integration of development, evolution, and ecology at the molecular level.
authors.affiliation: Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max-Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; email: ralf.sommer@tuebingen.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Ralf J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.affiliation: Department for Evolutionary Biology, Max-Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; email: ralf.sommer@tuebingen.mpg.de.
authors.forename: Melanie G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mayer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000379:methods; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans; Pristionchus pacificus; dauer development; evo-devo; nuclear hormone receptors