23 September 2022
Ariel Chipman
Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
One of the thorniest concepts in evolutionary biology is the concept of homology. Our understanding of homology has evolved significantly, transitioning from a pre-Darwinian concept of "sameness" to a more modern concept based on phylogenetic continuity. More recently, the concept of homology has been placed in an evo-devo framework and is discussed in terms of shared underlying developmental networks. Serial homology is even more difficult to conceptualize than regular homology, since it discusses structures within the same organism and thus lacks a phylogenetic framework. This raises the question of whether serial homology is even a valid concept. In my seminar I will relate serial homology to more conventional concepts of homology. I will discuss how we can use the modern evo-devo understanding of homology as indicating shared developmental networks to untangle some of the difficulties in conceptualizing serial homology. I will give several examples from arthropod evolution and development and show that such a framing can lead to surprising evolutionary conclusions.