Embryology provides significant insights into evolutionary biology by showing how the early stages of development in embryos can reflect the evolutionary history of different species. There are two main points that illustrate this connection:
- The early stages of embryonic development may mirror early developmental stages of ancestral forms: In many species, the initial phases of embryonic development show similarities that suggest a shared ancestry. For example, vertebrate embryos exhibit similar structures such as the notochord and pharyngeal arches during early development, which indicates that these species evolved from a common ancestor. This phenomenon is often summarized by the phrase