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Abstract
Although it is rarely considered so in modern developmental biology, morphogenesis
is fundamentally a biomechanical process, and this is especially true of one of the
first major morphogenic transformations in development, gastrulation. Cells bring
about changes in embryonic form by generating patterned forces and by differentiating
the tissue mechanical properties that harness these forces in specific ways. Therefore,
biomechanics lies at the core of connecting the genetic and molecular basis of cell
activities to the macroscopic tissue deformations that shape the embryo. Here we discuss
what is known of the biomechanics of gastrulation, primarily in amphibians but also
comparing similar morphogenic processes in teleost fish and amniotes, and selected
events in several species invertebrates. Our goal is to review what is known and identify
problems for further research.