Biological Symmetry Analysis

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Life Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 14221

Special Issue Editors

IFREMER Institut Francais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer, Plouzane, France
Interests: fish biology; otolith; growth; stock identification
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL University, Paris, FranceUMR Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
Interests: paleontology; shape analysis; evolution of primates
Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados del Maule, Universidad Católica del Maule, Curicó, Chile
Interests: geometric morphometrics; insects; adaptations; pest ecology; biological invasions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biological symmetry refers to the symmetry observed in organisms (including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria) or the parts in an animal or plant in an orderly fashion (including the axis of symmetry inside the part or between the left and right parts). Symmetry is a frequent pattern in nature, often perceived as a necessary pattern in animal evolution and a source of homogeneity, stability, and beauty. This symmetry would be the result of genetic drivers, species evolution, and ontogeny processes according to developmental canalization. However, asymmetry in biology is not synonymous with chaos. It can also be functionally adapted and/or adapted to environmental constraints.

Analysis and techniques dealing with biological symmetry or asymmetry have been increasingly applied in various disciplines such as anatomy, evolutionary biology, botany, entomology, ichthyology, paleontology, etc. This Special Issue of Symmetry, which is intended to be interdisciplinary, focuses on methods and study cases showing asymmetry and/or symmetry and its effect in the biological sciences. 

Submit your paper and select the Journal “Symmetry” and the Special Issue “Biological Symmetry Analysis” via: MDPI submission system. Our papers will be published on a rolling basis and we will be pleased to receive your submission once you have finished it.

Dr. Kélig Mahé
Dr. Couette Sébastien
Dr. Hugo A Benítez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Biological symmetry
  • Functional asymmetry
  • Environmental forcing
  • directional asymmetry
  • lateralization
  • Fluctuating asymmetry
  • Phenotypic plasticity
  • Developmental canalization
  • Morphological adaptation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2067 KiB  
Article
Association between Facial Metrics and Mate Rejection for Long-Term Relationship by Heterosexual Men
by Luiza Penha Pinheiro, Luis Carlos Pereira Monteiro, Leonardo Dutra Henriques, Givago Silva Souza, Ana Catarina Miranda, Marcelo Fernandes Costa and Alda Loureiro Henriques
Symmetry 2023, 15(1), 133; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/sym15010133 - 03 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1611
Abstract
Investigations on mate choice in humans frequently report preferences, but there is little knowledge about what is important for rejection by a potential mate. The present study aims to verify if facial asymmetry and facial disharmony have an influence on mate rejection by [...] Read more.
Investigations on mate choice in humans frequently report preferences, but there is little knowledge about what is important for rejection by a potential mate. The present study aims to verify if facial asymmetry and facial disharmony have an influence on mate rejection by men. We hypothesized that more asymmetric and disharmonious faces would be more rejected. For this purpose, photographs of women’s faces were presented in pairs by self-declared heterosexual men. It was requested they reject one of the faces as a potential mate for a long-term relationship. Women’s faces were also analyzed to measure facial asymmetry and facial disharmony. We used a linear mixed model to evaluate the effect of the cited metrics on each face’s number of rejections. We found that the female metrics influenced mate rejection only if associated with male age and income. The older participants rejected female partners with asymmetric faces. We suggest that aging makes men more demanding in mate choices, at least considering facial asymmetry. We concluded that rejection could be a key variable in mate choice studies, but further research is needed to clarify its effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Symmetry Analysis)
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12 pages, 1572 KiB  
Article
Insect Fluctuating Asymmetry: An Example in Bolivian Peridomestic Populations of Triatoma infestans (Klug, 1834) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)
by Carolina Vilaseca, Carlos F. Pinto, Rodrigo Órdenes-Claveria, David Laroze, Marco A. Méndez and Hugo A. Benítez
Symmetry 2022, 14(3), 526; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/sym14030526 - 04 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2238
Abstract
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a morphometric tool used to measure developmental instability in organisms which have been exposed to stress or other adverse conditions. Phenotypic variability in response to stressors are the result of interactions between genomes and the environment, acting in a [...] Read more.
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a morphometric tool used to measure developmental instability in organisms which have been exposed to stress or other adverse conditions. Phenotypic variability in response to stressors are the result of interactions between genomes and the environment, acting in a noisy developmental system. Most of the organisms have bilateral symmetry with a repetition of structures in different positions or orientations; asymmetrical variation has been a morphological response associated with insecticide application inducing disturbances in endocrinal system product of the chemicals. Triatoma infestans (is the main vector of Chagas disease in South America. The availability of food sources varies for populations of T. infestans living in different habitats; insects that inhabit the intradomicile feed preferentially on human blood, whereas insects that develop in the peridomicile feed on the blood of the other mammals and birds. The following research evaluate the FA to the different ecotopes in two geographical areas of Chuquisaca Bolivia; Yamparáez/Sotomayor of the high inter-Andean valleys and Huacaya/Imbochi of the boreal Chaco and a CIPEIN laboratory strain population. A combination of advanced morphometrics tools and multivariate analysis were used to quantify the levels of asymmetry produced by pyretroid near to the peridomiciles in Bolivia. Populations from Yamparáez/Sotomayor were found to have higher levels of FA which the combination of environmental conditions such as low temperatures avoid greater permanence in the habitat and more exposition to insecticide. A better understanding of the combination of these tools will allow researchers to implement better public policies to regulate insecticide applications and to understand how certain organisms adapt to multiple stressors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Symmetry Analysis)
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24 pages, 3397 KiB  
Article
Lower Levels of Vestibular Developmental Stability in Slow-Moving than Fast-Moving Primates
by Renaud Lebrun, Alexandre Perier, Judith Masters, Laurent Marivaux and Sébastien Couette
Symmetry 2021, 13(12), 2305; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/sym13122305 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1981
Abstract
The vestibular system of the mammalian inner ear senses angular and linear velocity of the head and enables animals to maintain their balance. Vestibular anatomy has been studied extensively in order to link its structure to particular kinds of locomotion. Available evidence indicates [...] Read more.
The vestibular system of the mammalian inner ear senses angular and linear velocity of the head and enables animals to maintain their balance. Vestibular anatomy has been studied extensively in order to link its structure to particular kinds of locomotion. Available evidence indicates that, in primates, slow-moving species show higher levels of vestibular variation than fast-moving taxa. We analysed intraspecific morphological variation and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) levels in the semicircular canal systems of six species of lorisiform primates: three slow-moving lorisids and three fast-moving galagids. Our results showed clear differences in levels of intraspecific variation between slow-moving and fast-moving taxa. Higher levels of variation were responsible for deviations from coplanarity for synergistic pairs of canals in slower taxa. Lorisids also presented higher levels of FA than galagids. FA is a better indicator of agility than intraspecific variation. These results suggest that in order to function efficiently in fast taxa, semicircular canal systems must develop as symmetrically as possible, and should minimise the deviation from coplanarity for synergistic pairs. Higher levels of variation and asymmetry in slow-moving taxa may be related to lower levels of stabilising selection on the vestibular system, linked to a lower demand for rapid postural changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Symmetry Analysis)
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11 pages, 1294 KiB  
Article
Investigating Human Torso Asymmetries: An Observational Longitudinal Study of Fluctuating and Directional Asymmetry in the Scoliotic Torso
by José María González-Ruiz, María Isabel Pérez-Núñez, María Dolores García-Alfaro and Markus Bastir
Symmetry 2021, 13(10), 1821; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/sym13101821 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2537
Abstract
The presence of directional and fluctuating asymmetry in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has not been deeply studied. We aimed to test the presence of both in a scoliosis group and a control group. 24 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and 24 control subjects were [...] Read more.
The presence of directional and fluctuating asymmetry in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has not been deeply studied. We aimed to test the presence of both in a scoliosis group and a control group. 24 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and 24 control subjects were subjected to geometric morphometrics analyses to address our main hypotheses and to make qualitative visualizations of the 3D shape changes in patients with scoliosis. Our results support the hypothesis that both asymmetric traits are present in the scoliosis and control groups, but to a greater degree in patients. A qualitative visualization tool that allows us to measure the impact that directional and fluctuating asymmetry have on the 3D shape of our patients has been developed. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the result of developmental instabilities during growth and the visualization of the 3D shape changes in response to both asymmetric variables has shown different morphological behaviors. Measuring these variables is important, as they can prevent the localization and deformation that is expected to occur during the course of scoliosis in every individual patient and therefore acts as a key clinical finding that may be used in the prognosis of the condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Symmetry Analysis)
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13 pages, 3136 KiB  
Article
Directional Bilateral Asymmetry in Fish Otolith: A Potential Tool to Evaluate Stock Boundaries?
by Kélig Mahé, Kirsteen MacKenzie, Djamila Ider, Andrea Massaro, Oussama Hamed, Alba Jurado-Ruzafa, Patrícia Gonçalves, Aikaterini Anastasopoulou, Angelique Jadaud, Chryssi Mytilineou, Marine Randon, Romain Elleboode, Alaia Morell, Zouhir Ramdane, Joanne Smith, Karen Bekaert, Rachid Amara, Hélène de Pontual and Bruno Ernande
Symmetry 2021, 13(6), 987; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/sym13060987 - 01 Jun 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4229
Abstract
The otolith, found in both inner ears of bony fish, has mainly been used to estimate fish age. Another application that has been developing significantly in recent years, however, is the use of otolith shape as a tool for stock identification. Often, studies [...] Read more.
The otolith, found in both inner ears of bony fish, has mainly been used to estimate fish age. Another application that has been developing significantly in recent years, however, is the use of otolith shape as a tool for stock identification. Often, studies have directly used the shape asymmetry between the right and left otoliths. We tested the magnitude of directional asymmetry between the sagittal otoliths (left vs. right) of 2991 individuals according to their catch locations, and we selected species to evaluate whether directional asymmetry may itself be a tool to evaluate stock boundaries. Elliptical Fourier descriptors were used to describe the otolith shape. We used a flatfish, the common sole (Solea solea, n = 2431), from the eastern English Channel and the southern North Sea as well as a roundfish, the bogue (Boops boops, n = 560), from the Mediterranean Sea. Both species showed significant levels of directional asymmetry between the testing locations. The bogue otoliths showed significant asymmetry for only 5 out of 11 locations, with substantial separation between two large areas: the Algerian coast and the western part of the Italian coast. The sole otoliths showed significant asymmetry in the shape analysis (3.84–6.57%), suggesting a substantial separation between two large areas: the English and French parts of the English Channel and the southern North Sea. Consequently, directional bilateral asymmetry in otolith shape is a potential new method for stock identification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Symmetry Analysis)
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