Mammal Evolution Explained through Molecular and Morphological Data

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Animals will focus on different morphological and molecular aspects that have varied throughout the course of mammalian evolution. The study of morphology has a long history in biology; its centrality is evident in pre-Darwinian scientists like Lamarck and it was key for Darwin’s theory of evolution. During the second half of the 20th century, molecular genetics was incorporated as one of the pillars of neo-Darwinian synthesis. Furthermore, by the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the emergence of the evo–devo perspective promoted a new understanding of the relationship between morphology and molecular biology in evolution. Based on these contributions, we now understand that form variation is the result of the complex interaction between regulatory genes expressed along ontogeny and the environment. In recent decades, the scientific community has agreed that the complexity of evolution cannot be understood without the contribution of molecular and morphological data, both in extinct and living species. This issue will embrace publications, both original studies and reviews, that use morphological or molecular data to answer opened questions about mammalian evolution. Studies combining both morphological and molecular results will be particularly well received. Despite the abundance of the literature on biological evolution, we consider it very important to focus on key aspects of the morphological and molecular bases of the evolution of the different mammalian taxa.

Dr. Claudio Gustavo Ustavo Barbeito
Dr. Phelipe Favaron
Dr. Maria Angelica Miglino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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.

• evolution
• evo–devo
• comparative anatomy
• molecular biology
• adaptation