Small arthropods are not simply scaled-down versions of their larger closest relatives, as changes in morphology and functional characters are largely governed by scaling laws. These same scaling laws set strict limits to size change toward smaller sizes. The evolution of extreme miniaturized forms involves the breaking of these constraints, by means of design innovations that allow evolutionary change to evade the limits posed by scaling laws. Here we review several cases studies in insects and other arthropods that illustrate this evolutionary path. We examine morphologies commonly recurring in miniaturized forms but not exclusive to them, morphologies exclusive to miniaturized forms and novel functional solutions supported by unconventional morphologies. We also discuss miniaturization and its evolvability taking into consideration arthropod postembryonic development and modular body organization. The modification of features commonly supposed not to change appears as a recurring pattern in arthropod miniaturization.

中文翻译：

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无极限：打破昆虫小型化的限制。

小型节肢动物不只是其较大近亲的按比例缩小的版本，因为形态和功能特征的变化在很大程度上受比例定律支配。这些相同的缩放定律对将尺寸更改为较小尺寸设置了严格的限制。极端小型化形式的演变涉及打破这些限制，这是通过设计创新来实现的，这些创新使进化变化能够规避缩放定律所带来的限制。在这里，我们回顾了一些昆虫和其他节肢动物的案例研究，这些案例说明了这种进化路径。我们研究了通常以小型化形式出现但不排除于形态之外的形态，小型化形式专有的形态和非常规形态所支持的新颖功能解决方案。我们还讨论了节肢动物的胚胎后发育和模块化身体组织的小型化及其可扩展性。通常认为不应改变的特征的修改在节肢动物小型化中表现为重复出现的模式。