Body shape, color, and behavior often evolve together as
In a new study, evolutionary biologists have combined fieldwork and
“Our knowledge of neural crest cells comes almost entirely from a few model organisms, such as mice. We are now charting this type of cell in lizard embryos in order to understand how phenomena such as the Hulk lizard can evolve,” says Nathalie Feiner.
Over the next few years, Feiner and her team will conduct more field studies, set up breeding groups, and undertake advanced genetic analyses, including using the CrispR-Cas9 gene-editing technique. All with the aim of establishing what role neural crest cells play in the intertwined evolution of color, shape, and behavior.
“Our focus is on lizards, but our discoveries can probably be applied to all animals with neural crest cells, which would cover around 70,000 species of vertebrate. Although our work provides a possible explanation to how evolution works, it is also the beginning of many new areas of research,” she says.
Reference: “Adaptive introgression reveals the genetic basis of a sexually selected syndrome in wall lizards” by Nathalie Feiner, Weizhao Yang, Ignas Bunikis, Geoffrey M. While and Tobias Uller, 3 April 2024, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk9315