neoteny
neoteny A form of heterochrony that involves the slowing down in a descendant of part or all of its ancestor's rate of development, so that at least some aspects of the descendant resemble a (generally large-sized) juvenile stage of the ancestor. This may lead to paedomorphosis. Since the juvenile stages of many organisms are less specialized than the corresponding adult stages, such shifts allow the organisms concerned to switch to new evolutionary pathways (see evolution). The word comes from the Greek neos (meaning ‘youthful’). Neoteny is common among Urodela (newts and salamanders) and some features of human evolution (e.g. lack of body hair) have been ascribed to it.
neoteny
neoteny A form of heterochrony that involves the slowing down in a descendant of part or all of its ancestor's rate of development, so that at least some aspects of the descendant resemble a (generally large-sized) juvenile stage of the ancestor. This may lead to paedomorphosis. Since the juvenile stages of many organisms are less specialized than the corresponding adult stages, such shifts allow the organisms concerned to switch to new evolutionary pathways. The word comes from the Greek neos (meaning ‘youthful’). Neoteny is common among Urodela.
neoteny
neoteny Slowing down of bodily development, so that sexual maturity is achieved while the organism still looks like a juvenile; this leads to paedomorphosis. Since the juvenile stages of many organisms are less specialized than the corresponding adult stages, such shifts allow the organisms concerned to switch to new evolutionary pathways. The word comes from the Greek neos (meaning ‘youthful’). Some features of human evolution have been ascribed to neotony.
neoteny
neoteny The retention of the juvenile body form, or particular features of it, in a mature animal. For example, the axolotl, a salamander, retains the gills of the larva in the adult. Neoteny is thought to have been an important mechanism in the evolution of certain groups, such as humans, who are believed to have developed from the juvenile forms of apes. See also heterochrony.
More From encyclopedia.com
Metamorphosis , Metamorphosis, or a change in form, in biology means the transition from a larval stage to an adult stage. In most animals, embryonic development lea… Larva , A larva is the name of the stage between hatching and adulthood in the life cycle of some invertebrates (animals without a backbone). A sexually imma… Stage , Stage (or Phase)
The term "stage" is used to designate a developmental phase that, for Freud, is characterized by a specific organization of the libi… Hypermorphosis , hypermorphosis A form of heterochrony in which, during the course of evolution, the rate of development is unchanged but the total development time i… Hemimetabolous , hemimetabolous Describing insect development in which there is incomplete or partial metamorphosis, typically with successive immature stages increas… Blastula , blastula The stage of development of an animal embryo that results from cleavage of a fertilized egg. This stage generally resembles a hollow ball wi…
About this article
neoteny
All Sources -
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
neoteny