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Symmetry
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Fluctuating Asymmetry in Evolutionary Biology
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Fluctuating Asymmetry in Evolutionary Biology

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Life Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 8416

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Danijela P. Miljković

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Guest Editor
Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, 142 Despot Stefan Boulevard, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: evolutionary plant ecology; developmental instability; fluctuating asymmetry; environmental stress; effects on population variability under climatic factors variation
Prof. Dr. Jiri Neustupa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Benatska 2, Praha 2, 12843 Prague, Czech Republic
Interests: geometric morphometrics of algal model systems; morphometric symmetry and asymmetry of cellular structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Peijian Shi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Bamboo Research Institute, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: botany; scaling; geometry; applied spatial statistics; forest ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution of populations, in variable environmental conditions is the result of adaptations under the influence of complex environmental stress (combination of abiotic and biotic factors), which directly affects the genetic structure of individuals and biodiversity as a whole. Evolutionary patterns of variation reflect the integration of multilevel variation caused by environmental and genetic stress. The state of population adaptation is estimated by the existence of a developmental noise that is quantified by fluctuating asymmetry. Fluctuating asymmetry represents intra-individual morphological variability and a phenotypic outcome of instability in the development of a particular genotype in the particular environment, resulting from random deviations in the development of one or more morphological traits from their expected developmental pathways. Stress impact (primary stress signals such as climate change, habitat fragmentation, anthropogenic impact, competition, parasitism, and inbreeding and secondary stress signals such as adaptive value, regulation of gene expression, epigenetic changes) can be detected early with the evaluation of fluctuating asymmetry and the stress indicator method, which causes developmental instability at the level of phenotypic morphological variability. This Special Edition aims to publish studies of all aspects of fluctuating asymmetry at population, individual, morphological, anatomical, biochemical, and molecular levels, for all model organisms.

Dr. Danijela P. Miljković
Prof. Dr. Jiri Neustupa
Dr. Peijian Shi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • developmental instability
  • fluctuating asymmetry
  • developmental noise
  • environmental stress
  • genetic stress
  • shape asymmetry

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1954 KiB  
Article
Spatial Integration of Cellular Shapes in Green Microalgae with Complex Morphology, the Genus Micrasterias (Desmidiales, Zygnematophyceae)
by Jiri Neustupa and Katerina Woodard
Symmetry 2023, 15(9), 1700; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15091700 - 5 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1202
Abstract
While ontogeny of multicellular organisms requires an interplay among tissues, morphogenesis of unicellular structures is typically organised with respect to differential growth of their cell covering. For example, shapes of various microalgae have often been emphasised as examples of symmetric fractal-like cellular morphology. [...] Read more.
While ontogeny of multicellular organisms requires an interplay among tissues, morphogenesis of unicellular structures is typically organised with respect to differential growth of their cell covering. For example, shapes of various microalgae have often been emphasised as examples of symmetric fractal-like cellular morphology. Such a self-similar pattern is typical for the variability of a spatial fractal, with the shape variation remaining the same at different scales. This study investigated how these cells are integrated. A geometric morphometric analysis of spatial integration in the genus Micrasterias was used to assess the variation across scales by comparing the slopes of the linear fit of the log bending energy against the log variance of partial warps. Interestingly, the integration patterns were distinctly different from the notion of self-similarity. The variability consistently increased with decreasing scale, regardless of the cultivation temperature or the species examined. In addition, it was consistent after the adjustment of the slopes for the digitisation error. The developmental control over the final shape progressively declines with decreasing spatial scale, to the point that the terminal lobules are shaped almost independently of each other. These findings point to possible considerable differences in the generation of morphological complexity between free-living cells and multicellular organisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluctuating Asymmetry in Evolutionary Biology)
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20 pages, 942 KiB  
Article
Assessing Asymmetrical Rates in Multivariate Phylogenetic Trait Evolution: An Extension of Statistical Models for Heterogeneous Rate Estimation
by Dwueng-Chwuan Jhwueng
Symmetry 2023, 15(7), 1445; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15071445 - 19 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1347
Abstract
Understanding the rate of evolution provides insight into how rapidly species have historically evolved. We investigate the often-overlooked concept of asymmetry in evolutionary rates. We observe the variation in the rates at which different traits within the same organism, or the same traits [...] Read more.
Understanding the rate of evolution provides insight into how rapidly species have historically evolved. We investigate the often-overlooked concept of asymmetry in evolutionary rates. We observe the variation in the rates at which different traits within the same organism, or the same traits across different organisms, evolve. Influenced by factors such as environmental pressures and genetic constraints, this asymmetry might lead to inconsistent rates of biological changes. To capture these diverse rates, we propose three advanced statistical models, transcending the traditionally employed Brownian motion model. These models—the phylogenetic multivariate Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model, the early burst model, and the mixed model—were applied to body length, forelimbs, and head length in salamanders. The results from our substantial dataset show these models’ effectiveness in highlighting the asymmetrical patterns of trait evolution, enhancing our understanding of the complex dynamics in species evolution. Therefore, our study underscores the importance of considering asymmetry when studying evolutionary rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluctuating Asymmetry in Evolutionary Biology)
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15 pages, 942 KiB  
Article
Phenotypic Selection on Flower Traits in Food-Deceptive Plant Iris pumila L.: The Role of Pollinators
by Sanja Budečević, Katarina Hočevar, Sanja Manitašević Jovanović and Ana Vuleta
Symmetry 2023, 15(6), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15061149 - 25 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1468
Abstract
To gain insight into the evolution of flower traits in the generalized food-deceptive plant Iris pumila, we assessed the color, size, shape, and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of three functionally distinct floral organs—outer perianths (‘falls’), inner perianths (‘standards’), and style branches—and estimated pollinator-mediated [...] Read more.
To gain insight into the evolution of flower traits in the generalized food-deceptive plant Iris pumila, we assessed the color, size, shape, and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of three functionally distinct floral organs—outer perianths (‘falls’), inner perianths (‘standards’), and style branches—and estimated pollinator-mediated selection on these traits. We evaluated the perianth color as the achromatic brightness of the fall, measured the flower stem height, and analyzed the floral organ size, shape, and FA using geometric morphometrics. Pollinated flowers had significantly higher brightness, longer flower stems, and larger floral organs compared to non-pollinated flowers. The shape and FA of the floral organs did not differ, except for the fall FA, where higher values were found for falls of pollinated flowers. Pollinator-mediated selection was confirmed for flower stem height and for subtle changes in the shape of the fall and style branch—organs that form the pollination tunnel. This study provides evidence that, although all analyzed flower traits play significant roles in pollinator attraction, flower stem height and pollination tunnel shape evolved under the pollinator-mediated selection, whereas achromatic brightness, size, and symmetry of floral organs did not directly affect pollination success. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluctuating Asymmetry in Evolutionary Biology)
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16 pages, 2520 KiB  
Article
Is Fluctuating Asymmetry a Sufficient Indicator of Stress Level in Two Lizard Species (Zootoca vivipara and Lacerta agilis) from Alpine Habitats?
by Marko Anđelković, Marko Mirč, Maja Ajduković, Milena Cvijanović, Tanja Vukov, Tijana Vučić, Ana Kijanović and Aleksandar Urošević
Symmetry 2023, 15(3), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15030721 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2232
Abstract
Alpine habitats are exposed to increasing anthropogenic pressure and climate change. The negative impacts can lead to chronic stress that can affect the survival and reproductive success of individuals and even lead to population extinction. In this study, we analyse different morphological and [...] Read more.
Alpine habitats are exposed to increasing anthropogenic pressure and climate change. The negative impacts can lead to chronic stress that can affect the survival and reproductive success of individuals and even lead to population extinction. In this study, we analyse different morphological and ecological traits and indices of abiotic and biotic stressors (such as head size and shape, fluctuating asymmetry, body condition index, tail autotomy, and population abundance) in alpine and subalpine populations of two lacertid species (Zootoca vivipara and Lacerta agilis) from Serbia and North Macedonia. These lizards live under different conditions: allotopy/syntopy, different anthropogenic pressure, and different levels of habitat protection. We found differences between syntopic and allotopic populations in pileus size, body condition index (in both species), pileus shape, fluctuating asymmetry (in L. agilis), and abundance (in Z. vivipara). Differences between populations under anthropogenic pressure and populations without it were observed in pileus shape, body condition index (in both species), pileus size, fluctuating asymmetry, tail autotomy and abundance (in L. agilis). On the basis of our results, it is necessary to include other stress indicators in addition to fluctuating asymmetry to quickly observe and quantify the negative effects of threat factors and apply protective measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluctuating Asymmetry in Evolutionary Biology)
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9 pages, 561 KiB  
Article
Relating Fluctuating Asymmetries and Mean Values and Discordances of Asymmetries in a Set of Morphological Traits
by Dmitry L. Lajus
Symmetry 2023, 15(2), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15020476 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1282
Abstract
This study addresses the problem of concordance in fluctuating asymmetry (FA) across traits by analyzing the relationship between FAs and the mean values of character measurements in a set of morphological traits. Regression slopes vary in natural populations, thus, revealing discordance in FA [...] Read more.
This study addresses the problem of concordance in fluctuating asymmetry (FA) across traits by analyzing the relationship between FAs and the mean values of character measurements in a set of morphological traits. Regression slopes vary in natural populations, thus, revealing discordance in FA across traits among these populations. Hence, commonly accepted techniques for measuring developmental instability with FA result in uncertainties. Here, I relate FA to mean as a two-dimensional complex to demonstrate the uniformly negative slopes of standardized FA vs. mean value regressions for sets of morphological traits from eighteen distinct natural marine and aquatic populations. Comprehensive analysis of the FA–mean complex cannot be recommended for wide use in assessing stress and fitness, but it offers promise to improve FA measuring methodologies and to better understand the nature of developmental instability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluctuating Asymmetry in Evolutionary Biology)
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