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The lower Cambrian lobopodian Cardiodictyon resolves the origin of euarthropod brains

Strausfeld, Nicholas J. ; Hou, Xianguang ; Sayre, Marcel E. LU orcid and Hirth, Frank (2022) In Science 378(6622). p.905-909
Abstract

For more than a century, the origin and evolution of the arthropod head and brain have eluded a unifying rationale reconciling divergent morphologies and phylogenetic relationships. Here, clarification is provided by the fossilized nervous system of the lower Cambrian lobopodian Cardiodictyon catenulum, which reveals an unsegmented head and brain comprising three cephalic domains, distinct from the metameric ventral nervous system serving its appendicular trunk. Each domain aligns with one of three components of the foregut and with a pair of head appendages. Morphological correspondences with stem group arthropods and alignments of homologous gene expression patterns with those of extant panarthropods demonstrate that cephalic domains... (More)

For more than a century, the origin and evolution of the arthropod head and brain have eluded a unifying rationale reconciling divergent morphologies and phylogenetic relationships. Here, clarification is provided by the fossilized nervous system of the lower Cambrian lobopodian Cardiodictyon catenulum, which reveals an unsegmented head and brain comprising three cephalic domains, distinct from the metameric ventral nervous system serving its appendicular trunk. Each domain aligns with one of three components of the foregut and with a pair of head appendages. Morphological correspondences with stem group arthropods and alignments of homologous gene expression patterns with those of extant panarthropods demonstrate that cephalic domains of C. catenulum predate the evolution of the euarthropod head yet correspond to neuromeres defining brains of living chelicerates and mandibulates.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science
volume
378
issue
6622
pages
5 pages
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:36423269
  • scopus:85142616648
ISSN
0036-8075
DOI
10.1126/science.abn6264
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
64bb97e1-6fc7-4545-84f2-5961798c56f3
date added to LUP
2022-12-27 11:40:32
date last changed
2024-04-18 16:58:18
@article{64bb97e1-6fc7-4545-84f2-5961798c56f3,
  abstract     = {{<p>For more than a century, the origin and evolution of the arthropod head and brain have eluded a unifying rationale reconciling divergent morphologies and phylogenetic relationships. Here, clarification is provided by the fossilized nervous system of the lower Cambrian lobopodian Cardiodictyon catenulum, which reveals an unsegmented head and brain comprising three cephalic domains, distinct from the metameric ventral nervous system serving its appendicular trunk. Each domain aligns with one of three components of the foregut and with a pair of head appendages. Morphological correspondences with stem group arthropods and alignments of homologous gene expression patterns with those of extant panarthropods demonstrate that cephalic domains of C. catenulum predate the evolution of the euarthropod head yet correspond to neuromeres defining brains of living chelicerates and mandibulates.</p>}},
  author       = {{Strausfeld, Nicholas J. and Hou, Xianguang and Sayre, Marcel E. and Hirth, Frank}},
  issn         = {{0036-8075}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{6622}},
  pages        = {{905--909}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science}},
  title        = {{The lower Cambrian lobopodian Cardiodictyon resolves the origin of euarthropod brains}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abn6264}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/science.abn6264}},
  volume       = {{378}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}