Abstract
The pharynx is an important and intricate region of the body that has its developmental origin in a series of bulges found on the lateral surface of the embryonic head, the pharyngeal arches and these are a defining feature of vertebrate embryos. However, during evolution, the pharynx has also undergone extensive modifications, and these are particularly marked at three key transitions: the emergence of the vertebrates, the gnathostomes and the tetrapods. At each of these junctures the pharynx was extensively remodelled and mechanistic insights into how this was achieved can be gleaned from comparative analyses of pharyngeal development. In this chapter, we discuss the complex development of the pharynx. We consider the commonalities and differences between the pharyngeal region of vertebrates and other deuterostomes. We highlight the importance of early developmental events in the pharyngeal endoderm for laying down the fundamental organisation of this region, including the number of segments formed. Finally, we consider how the remodelling of the pharynx and the loss of pharyngeal segmentation from the adult form was achieved with the tetrapods. Overall, in this chapter we highlight the conserved and derived aspects of pharyngeal development and how these underpin the anatomy of this region.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Evolution and Development of Fishes |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Pages | 241-251 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781316832172 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781107179448 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2019 |