A computational model of teeth and the developmental origins of morphological variation

Abstract

Genotype and phenotype cannot be connected simply by one-to-one mapping; instead they are linked by the nonlinear process of development. Here, a computational model is described [mdash] based on real data about the development of seal teeth [mdash] that attempts to combine the three. The results show that a few genetic parameters regulating signalling during cusp development may explain variation among individuals. But a cellular parameter regulating epithelial growth may explain tooth-to-tooth variation along the jaw.