Refuting the hypothesis that the acquisition of germ plasm accelerates animal evolution

Carrie A. Whittle; Cassandra G. Extavour

doi:10.1038/ncomms12637

Nature Communications (Aug 2016)

Refuting the hypothesis that the acquisition of germ plasm accelerates animal evolution

Carrie A. Whittle,
Cassandra G. Extavour

Affiliations

Carrie A. Whittle: Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
Cassandra G. Extavour: Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12637
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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The evolution of germ cell specification by maternal germ plasm has been proposed to accelerate vertebrate protein evolution by liberating selective constraints. Whittle and Extavour analyse global rates of protein evolution and find no support for this hypothesis in vertebrates or invertebrates.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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