Body plan

Blueprints in biology are mainly in the morphology ( morphology ) created and applied in the taxonomy, systematics and comparative physiology. In a blueprint the common new and original features of a systematic group ( taxon ) are presented.

General

It has to the Plan, especially at higher taxa any individual living organism, so the same to an individual of a species. Is much more important that all original and new features of a taxon are included in the plan represent the common characteristics ( homologies ) of the species group represented. Characteristics that occur in only a few Untertaxa as special development or reduction, are therefore not listed in the blueprint. Difficulties in creating a blueprint taxonomic prepare all analogous structures, in contrast to homologous structures although they have the same function, but do not have the same origin. Even the distinction between apomorphies ( derived traits ), plesiomorphies ( inherited characteristics), synapomorphies ( shared derived characteristics ) and Symplesiomorphien (collectively inherited characteristics ) is a significant problem in the plan creation.

For evolutionary biology, the study of the phylogeny and systematics of the particular plans have a special meaning. The early biology has built their system exclusively on Morphological plans. Only with the advent of genetics, in particular the DNA sequence comparison (See Genetic fingerprinting, microsatellites, etc.), the allozyme analysis and comparative behavioral biology since the mid-20th century, additional methods for systematic- taxonomic relationship analysis were developed. Many results of the morphological taxonomy were confirmed by the new methods and clarified many doubts cases. Disciplines such as systematic paleontology that deals with extinct forms of life of the often only footprints and fossils have been preserved, are still dependent almost exclusively on the morphological blueprint system.

History of the " blueprint " concept

Étienne Geoffroy Saint- Hilaire tried the physique of vertebrates and invertebrates to analogize, thus attaining a theory of the unity of plan, unité de plan, to a theory of the analogies ( in current terminology referred to as homologies ), from which he concluded that evolution of organisms from a single blueprint, plan d' organization can be inferred. However, by this hypothesis, he got into an argument with Georges Cuvier, known as the Paris Academy dispute (1830-1832), who postulated a splitting into four different and independent basic building plans in the animal kingdom.

In the summer of 1831 Richard Owen accepted the invitation of Georges Cuvier in Paris. There he spent a month. At the Jardin des Plantes, he learned Cuvier conveyor Étienne Geoffroy Saint- Hilaire know. Richard Owen developed an idea of a basic blueprint as for all vertebrates. He called this plan archetype archetype.