The clonal model of vertebral column development: a reinvestigation of vertebral shape using Fourier analysis.

Little work has been done on the skeletal system of allophenic mice (chimaeras). In this paper we re-examine the evidence presented for the clonal theory of vertebral development using quantitative methods which take account of variation. We conclude that the clonal theory is either an overly simplistic approximation of the real situation, or that the evidence so far given in its support is unsubstantiated.