A group of Russian researchers has proposed a fresh way to describe life forms by factoring in ontogenesis, the life cycle, when naming and organizing creatures. The team includes Alexander Martynov of the Zoological Museum at Moscow State University and Tatyana Korshunova of the Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Their work appears in the Special Volumes of the Society for Systematics in Cambridge University’s authoritative book series.
Martynov highlights a phase called the phylotype period, during which embryos of very different animals resemble one another. In this stage a bird, a frog, and a human can all appear fish-like. The researchers interpret this similarity as evidence that the three groups share a distant fish-like ancestor.
The team notes that ontogenetic conservatism aligns with what modern molecular methods reveal about ancestral organization. In other words, how an organism develops holds clues to its deep evolutionary roots and can reflect common ancestry.
Earlier work has shown that invertebrates display the same conserved developmental stages, with the difference lying in their specific ancestral lineages. Martynov and Korshunova propose extending this approach to all multicellular life, including plants and animals, to enrich our understanding of evolution.
According to the researchers, classification should incorporate not only genetic data but also epigenetic factors that influence how traits are expressed during development. This broader view seeks to capture the dynamic nature of life, where inherited patterns interact with environmental influence to shape organisms across generations.
The authors describe a framework for representing an organism or a group with a notation that echoes chemical formulas while preserving familiar taxonomic naming. The classic binomial name, such as Homo sapiens, would serve as the central anchor of a new conditional notation that conveys multilevel diversity.
The concept behind the Multilevel Diversity of Organisms MOD emphasizes both shared evolutionary origins and recent changes in small populations or individuals. Martynov calls this multi-layered description a potential antidote to rigid, simplistic views of biology that can border on racism because it acknowledges deep commonalities among life forms, even when recent changes create diversity.
From an ontogenetic viewpoint, every living being belongs to a clearly defined group yet also carries a true multilevel diversity, reflecting traits from distant ancestors as well as from the most recent forebears. This perspective invites a more nuanced appreciation of how organisms are shaped by history and development.
In a broader context, some early psychologists faced criticisms that apparent resemblances among different human groups were misinterpreted through biased lenses. The new ontogenetic approach presents a way to understand development and ancestry without succumbing to simplistic interpretations, by emphasizing shared biological foundations and the layered complexity of life.