{"title":"Dollo's law of irreversibility in the post-genomic age.","authors":"Kathryn R Elmer, Jean Clobert","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.010","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dollo's law of irreversibility argues that evolution cannot revert to earlier states. It has remained controversial ever since its inception in the 19th century. Enabled by advances in phylogenomics and functional genomics, recent studies show that there are very likely some cases of 'breaking Dollo's law'. As post-genomic research grows from showing patterns to revealing processes, new emphasis is needed on the molecular mechanisms by which Dollo's law might be broken. Shifting the argument from 'if it happened' to 'how it happened' will provide richer understanding of organismal and evolutionary biology. Motivated by case studies and novel avenues to test trait loss and regain, we outline a set of alternative hypotheses to be evaluated and what the outcomes tell us about evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in ecology & evolution","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2024.09.010","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Dollo's law of irreversibility argues that evolution cannot revert to earlier states. It has remained controversial ever since its inception in the 19th century. Enabled by advances in phylogenomics and functional genomics, recent studies show that there are very likely some cases of 'breaking Dollo's law'. As post-genomic research grows from showing patterns to revealing processes, new emphasis is needed on the molecular mechanisms by which Dollo's law might be broken. Shifting the argument from 'if it happened' to 'how it happened' will provide richer understanding of organismal and evolutionary biology. Motivated by case studies and novel avenues to test trait loss and regain, we outline a set of alternative hypotheses to be evaluated and what the outcomes tell us about evolution.
期刊介绍:
Trends in Ecology & Evolution (TREE) is a comprehensive journal featuring polished, concise, and readable reviews, opinions, and letters in all areas of ecology and evolutionary science. Catering to researchers, lecturers, teachers, field workers, and students, it serves as a valuable source of information. The journal keeps scientists informed about new developments and ideas across the spectrum of ecology and evolutionary biology, spanning from pure to applied and molecular to global perspectives. In the face of global environmental change, Trends in Ecology & Evolution plays a crucial role in covering all significant issues concerning organisms and their environments, making it a major forum for life scientists.