Serial homology is a special type of
homology, defined by Owen as "representative or repetitive relation in the segments of the same organism."
[R:Webster 1913 in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913] Ernst Haeckel preferred the term "homotypy" for the same phenomenon.
Classical examples of serial homologies are the development of forelimbs and hind limbs of
tetrapod
A tetrapod (; from Ancient Greek :wiktionary:τετρα-#Ancient Greek, τετρα- ''(tetra-)'' 'four' and :wiktionary:πούς#Ancient Greek, πούς ''(poús)'' 'foot') is any four-Limb (anatomy), limbed vertebrate animal of the clade Tetr ...
s and the iterative structure of the
vertebrae
Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal ...
.
See also
*
Deep homology
*
Evolutionary developmental biology
Evolutionary developmental biology, informally known as evo-devo, is a field of biological research that compares the developmental biology, developmental processes of different organisms to infer how developmental processes evolution, evolved. ...
References
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Evolutionary biology
Comparative anatomy