Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 12, 28-52, Copyright © 1995 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
GM Lento, RE Hickson, GK Chambers and D Penny
The evolutionary origin of the pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses)
is still uncertain. Most authors support a hypothesis of a monophyletic
origin of the pinnipeds from a caniform carnivore. A minority view suggests
a diphyletic origin with true seals being related to the mustelids (otters
and ferrets). The phylogenetic relationships of the walrus to other
pinniped and carnivore families are also still particularly problematic.
Here we examined the relative support for mono- and diphyletic hypotheses
using DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial small subunit (12S) rRNA and
cytochrome b genes. We first analyzed a small group of taxa representing
the three pinniped families (Phocidae, Otariidae, and Odobenidae) and
caniform carnivore families thought to be related to them. We inferred
phylogenetic reconstructions from DNA sequence data using standard
parsimony and neighbor-joining algorithms for phylogenetic inference as
well as a new method called spectral analysis (Hendy and Penny) in which
phylogenetic information is displayed independently of any selected tree.
We identified and compensated for potential sources of error known to lead
to selection of incorrect phylogenetic trees. These include sampling error,
unequal evolutionary rates on lineages, unequal nucleotide composition
among lineages, unequal rates of change at different sites, and
inappropriate tree selection criteria. To correct for these errors, we
performed additional transformations of the observed substitution patterns
in the sequence data, applied more stringent structural constraints to the
analyses, and included several additional taxa to help resolve long,
unbranched lineages in the tree. We find that there is strong support for a
monophyletic origin of the pinnipeds from within the caniform carnivores,
close to the bear/raccoon/panda radiation. Evidence for a diphyletic origin
was very weak and can be partially attributed to unequal nucleotide
compositions among the taxa analyzed. Subsequently, there is slightly more
evidence for grouping the walrus with the eared seals versus the true
seals. A more conservative interpretation, however, is that the walrus is
an early, but not the first, independent divergence from the common
pinniped ancestor.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Use of spectral analysis to test hypotheses on the origin of pinnipeds
Biochemistry and Genetics Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
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