Authors
Michael R McGowen, Michelle Spaulding, John Gatesy
Publication date
2009/12/1
Journal
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution
Volume
53
Issue
3
Pages
891-906
Publisher
Academic Press
Description
Cetaceans are remarkable among mammals for their numerous adaptations to an entirely aquatic existence, yet many aspects of their phylogeny remain unresolved. Here we merged 37 new sequences from the nuclear genes RAG1 and PRM1 with most published molecular data for the group (45 nuclear loci, transposons, mitochondrial genomes), and generated a supermatrix consisting of 42,335 characters. The great majority of these data have never been combined. Model-based analyses of the supermatrix produced a solid, consistent phylogenetic hypothesis for 87 cetacean species. Bayesian analyses corroborated odontocete (toothed whale) monophyly, stabilized basal odontocete relationships, and completely resolved branching events within Mysticeti (baleen whales) as well as the problematic speciose clade Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins). Only limited conflicts relative to maximum likelihood results …
Total citations
201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024112428332824313942383629271810
Scholar articles
MR McGowen, M Spaulding, J Gatesy - Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2009