It’s no secret that one of the most fascinating aspects of evolutionary biology is uncovering how complex organisms evolved from simpler forms. Now, researchers from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) have made an important discovery about the evolution of chordate body plans. The study sheds new light on how ancient chordate ancestors developed their body plans and reveals insights into the long-standing evolutionary mystery of how complex body plans evolved from simple forms.

The research team studied the anatomy of two closely related species of sea squirts, which are chordates, to gain insights into their evolution. Using a combination of imaging, gene expression and morphological analysis, the researchers revealed how the ancestral form of the sea squirt developed its anatomy, and how this anatomy has changed over time. The results of the study showed that the sea squirts’ body plans evolved by re-purposing existing structures within the animals’ embryos. This suggests that the complex body plans of the chordates evolved through the repurposing of simpler structures, rather than through the emergence of completely new structures.

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source: Phys.org