Neoteny
Neoteny (
Both neoteny and progenesis result in paedomorphism
History and etymology
The origins of the concept of neoteny have been traced to biblical times[
The word neoteny is borrowed from the
In 1926,
In humans
Neoteny in humans is the slowing or delaying of body development, compared to non-human
In domestic animals
Neoteny is seen in domesticated animals such as dogs and mice.[27] This is because there are more resources available, less competition for those resources, and with the lowered competition the animals expend less energy obtaining those resources. This allows them to mature and reproduce more quickly than their wild counterparts.[27] The environment that domesticated animals are raised in determines whether or not neoteny is present in those animals. Evolutionary neoteny can arise in a species when those conditions occur, and a species becomes sexually mature ahead of its "normal development". Another explanation for the neoteny in domesticated animals can be the selection for certain behavioral characteristics. Behavior is linked to genetics which therefore means that when a behavioral trait is selected for, a physical trait may also be selected for due to mechanisms like linkage disequilibrium. Often, juvenile behaviors are selected for in order to more easily domesticate a species; aggressiveness in certain species comes with adulthood when there is a need to compete for resources. If there is no need for competition, then there is no need for aggression. Selecting for juvenile behavioral characteristics can lead to neoteny in physical characteristics because, for example, with the reduced need for behaviors like aggression, there is no need for developed traits that would help in that area. Traits that may become neotenized due to decreased aggression may be a shorter muzzle and smaller general size among the domesticated individuals. Some common neotenous physical traits in domesticated animals (mainly dogs, pigs, ferrets, cats, and even foxes) include floppy ears, changes in the reproductive cycle, curly tails, piebald coloration, fewer or shortened vertebra, large eyes, rounded forehead, large ears, and shortened muzzle.[28][29]
When the role of dogs expanded from just being
In 2004, a study that used 310 wolf skulls and over 700 dog skulls representing 100 breeds concluded that the evolution of dog skulls can generally not be described by heterochronic processes such as neoteny, although some pedomorphic dog breeds have skulls that resemble the skulls of juvenile wolves.[32] By 2011, the findings by the same researcher were simply "Dogs are not paedomorphic wolves."[33]
In other species
Neoteny has been observed in many other species. It is important to note the difference between partial and full neoteny when looking at other species, to distinguish between juvenile traits which are advantageous in the short term and traits which are beneficial throughout the organism's life; this might provide insight into the cause of neoteny in a species. Partial neoteny is the retention of the larval form beyond the usual age of maturation, with possible sexual development (progenesis) and eventual maturation into the adult form; this is seen in the frog Lithobates clamitans. Full neoteny is seen in Ambystoma mexicanum and some populations of Ambystoma tigrinum, which remain in larval form throughout their lives.[34][35] Lithobates clamitans is partially neotenous; it delays maturation during the winter as fewer resources are available; it can find resources more easily in its larval form. This encompasses both of the main causes of neoteny; the energy required to survive in the winter as a newly-formed adult is too great, so the organism exhibits neotenous characteristics until it can better survive as an adult. Ambystoma tigrinum retains its neoteny for a similar reason; however, the retention is permanent due to the lack of available resources throughout its lifetime. This is another example of an environmental cause of neoteny. Several avian species, such as the manakins Chiroxiphia linearis and Chiroxiphia caudata, exhibit partial neoteny. The males of both species retain juvenile plumage into adulthood, losing it when they are fully mature.[36] In some bird species, the retention of juvenile plumage is linked to the molting time in each species. To ensure no overlap between molting and mating times, the birds may exhibit partial neoteny in plumage; males do not attain their bright, adult plumage before the females are prepared to mate. Neoteny is present because there is no need for the males to molt early, and trying to mate with immature females would be energy-inefficient.
Neoteny is commonly seen in flightless insects, such as the females of the order Strepsiptera. Flightlessness in insects has evolved separately a number of times; factors which may have contributed to the separate evolution of flightlessness are high altitude, geographic isolation (islands), and low temperatures.[37] Under these environmental conditions, dispersal would be disadvantageous; heat is lost more rapidly through wings in colder climates. The females of certain insect groups become sexually mature without metamorphosis, and some do not develop wings. Flightlessness in some female insects has been linked to higher fecundity.[37] Aphids are an example of insects which may never develop wings, depending on their environment. If resources are abundant on a host plant, there is no need to grow wings and disperse. If resources become diminished, their offspring may develop wings to disperse to other host plants.[38]
Two environments which favor neoteny are high altitudes and cool temperatures, because neotenous individuals have more fitness than individuals which metamorphose into an adult form. The energy required for metamorphosis detracts from individual fitness, and neotenous individuals can utilize available resources more easily.[39] This trend is seen in a comparison of salamander species at lower and higher altitudes; in a cool, high-altitude environment, neotenous individuals survive more and are more fecund than those which metamorphose into adult form.[39] Insects in cooler environments tend to exhibit neoteny in flight because wings have a high surface area and lose heat quickly; it is disadvantageous for insects to metamorphose into adults.[37]
Many species of salamander, and amphibians in general, exhibit environmental neoteny. Axolotl and olm are salamander species which retain their juvenile aquatic form throughout adulthood, examples of full neoteny. Gills are a common juvenile characteristic in amphibians which are kept after maturation; examples are the tiger salamander and rough-skinned newt, both of which retain gills into adulthood.[34]
Bonobos share many physical characteristics with humans, including neotenous skulls.[40] The shape of their skull does not change into adulthood (only increasing in size), due to sexual dimorphism and an evolutionary change in the timing of development.[40] Juveniles became sexually mature before their bodies had fully developed as adults and, due to a selective advantage, the skull's neotenic structure remained.[citation needed]
In some groups, such as the insect families Gerridae, Delphacidae and Carabidae, energy costs result in neoteny; many species in these families have small, neotenous wings or none at all.[38] Some cricket species shed their wings in adulthood;[41] in the genus Ozopemon, males (thought to be the first example of neoteny in beetles) are significantly smaller than females due to inbreeding.[42] In the termite Kalotermes flavicollis, neoteny is seen in molting females.[43]
In other species, such as the northwestern salamander (Ambystoma gracile), environmental conditions – high altitude, in this case – cause neoteny.[44] Neoteny is also found in a few species of the crustacean family Ischnomesidae, which live in deep ocean water.[45]
Subcellular neoteny
Neoteny is usually used to describe animal development; however, neoteny is also seen in the cell
See also
- Ageing
- Cuteness
- Kawaii
- Larviform female
- Moe (slang)
- Neotenin
References
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- ^ "neoteny". Lexico US English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
- ^ "neoteny". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
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- ^ Choi, Charles Q. (1 July 2009). "Being More Infantile May Have Led to Bigger Brains". Scientific American.
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William Wordsworth, for example, praised the concept of neoteny in 1802 with words of innocence and hope
- ^ Kollmann, J. (1885). "Das Ueberwintern von europäischen Frosch- und Tritonlarven und die Umwandlung des mexikanischen Axolotl" [The overwintering of European frog- and triton larvae and the transformation of the Mexican axolotl]. Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel (Proceedings of the Natural Science Society of Basel) (in German). 7: 387–398. From pp. 397–398: "Dann drängt sich die Frage auf, ob das Latenzstadium der Eier, das einerseits bei Fischen, Vögeln and Säugethieren in so höchst überraschenden Formen vorkommt, anderseits das Latenzstadium bei den Wirbellosen ¹) nicht eine Variante derselben Eigenschaft der Organismen sei, welche ich Neotenie genannt habe, und die auf irgend einer Entwichlungsstufe in Kraft treten kann." (Then the question arises whether on the one hand the latency stage of eggs — which occurs in such highly surprising forms in fish, birds and mammals — [and] on the other hand the latency stage in invertebrates ¹) be not a variant of the same property of the organisms, which I have called "neoteny" and which can come into force at any stage of development.)
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- ^ Bolk, Louis (1926). Das Problem der Menschwerdung : Vortrag gehalten am 15. April 1926 auf der XXV. Versammlung der anatomischen Gesellschaft zu Freiburg [The Problem of Humanization: Lecture held on 15 April 1926 at the 25th Congress of the Anatomical Society at Freiberg] (in German). Jena, Germany: Gustav Fischer.
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Further reading
- Bergstorm, Carl T. & Dugatkin, Lee Alan (2012). Evolution, W.W. Norton ISBN 039391349X
External links
- Singer, Emily (2015-06-02). "How Dinosaurs Shrank and Became Birds". Quanta Magazine.