Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28049417›Full record

ArticleBMC evolutionary biology2017

Assessing segmental versus non-segmental features in the ventral nervous system of onychophorans (velvet worms).

Christine Martin, Vladimir Gross, Hans-Joachim Pflüger, Paul A Stevenson, Georg Mayer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC evolutionary biology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Quantifying Evolutionary Dynamics of Arthropodization and Arthrodization.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
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  8. The nervous and visual systems of onychophorans and tardigrades: learning about arthropod evolution from their closest relatives.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2017
    Review
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Christine MartinDepartment of Zoology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, D-34132, Kassel, Germany. christine.martin@uni-kassel.de.
Vladimir GrossDepartment of Zoology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, D-34132, Kassel, Germany.
Hans-Joachim PflügerInstitute of Biology, Neurobiology, Free University of Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 28-30, D-14195, Berlin, Germany.
Paul A StevensonPhysiology of Animals and Behaviour, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Talstraße 33, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Georg MayerDepartment of Zoology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, D-34132, Kassel, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDue to their phylogenetic position as one of the closest arthropod relatives, studies of the organisation of the nervous system in onychophorans play a key role for understanding the evolution of body segmentation in arthropods. Previous studies revealed that, in contrast to the arthropods, segmentally repeated ganglia are not present within the onychophoran ventral nerve cords, suggesting that segmentation is either reduced or might be incomplete in the onychophoran ventral nervous system.

resultsTo assess segmental versus non-segmental features in the ventral nervous system of onychophorans, we screened the nerve cords for various markers, including synapsin, serotonin, gamma-aminobutyric acid, RFamide, dopamine, tyramine and octopamine. In addition, we performed retrograde fills of serially repeated commissures and leg nerves to localise the position of neuronal somata supplying those. Our data revealed a mixture of segmental and non-segmental elements within the onychophoran nervous system.

conclusionsWe suggest that the segmental ganglia of arthropods evolved by a gradual condensation of subsets of neurons either in the arthropod or the arthropod-tardigrade lineage. These findings are in line with the hypothesis of gradual evolution of segmentation in panarthropods and thus contradict a loss of ancestral segmentation within the onychophoran lineage.

Indexed as

Ganglia, InvertebrateAnimalsArthropodsBiological EvolutionBiomarkersNervous SystemNeuronsNeuropeptidesPhylogenySerotoninarginylphenylalaninamideBiomarkersNeuropeptidesSerotoninArthropodGangliaNerve cordPanarthropodaSegmentation

Identifiers

PMID28049417
PMCPMC5209844

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.