Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 13, 359-367, Copyright © 1996 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
VL Friesen, AJ Baker and JF Piatt
The Alcidae is a unique assemblage of Northern Hemisphere seabirds that
forage by "flying" underwater. Despite obvious affinities among the
species, their evolutionary relationships are unclear. We analyzed
nucleotide sequences of 1,045 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome b
gene and allelic profiles for 37 allozyme loci in all 22 extant species.
Trees were constructed on independent and combined data sets using maximum
parsimony and distance methods that correct for superimposed changes.
Alternative methods of analysis produced only minor differences in
relationships that were supported strongly by bootstrapping or standard
error tests. Combining sequence and allozyme data into a single analysis
provided the greatest number of relationships receiving strong support.
Addition of published morphological and ecological data did not improve
support for any additional relationship. All analyses grouped species into
six distinct lineages: (1) the dovekie (Alle alle) and auks, (2)
guillemots, (3) brachyramphine murrelets, (4) synthliboramphine murrelets,
(5) true auklets, and (6) the rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) and
puffins. The two murres (genus Uria) were sister taxa, and the black
guillemot (Cepphus grylle) was basal to the other guillemots. The Asian
subspecies of the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus perdix) was
the most divergent brachyramphine murrelet, and two distinct lineages
occurred within the synthliboramphine murrelets. Cassin's auklet
(Ptychoramphus aleuticus) and the rhinoceros auklet were basal to the other
auklets and puffins, respectively, and the Atlantic (Fratercula arctica)
and horned (Fratercula corniculata) puffins were sister taxa. Several
relationships among tribes, among the dovekie and auks, and among the
auklets could not be resolved but resembled "star" phylogenies indicative
of adaptive radiations at different depths within the trees.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Phylogenetic relationships within the Alcidae (Charadriiformes: Aves) inferred from total molecular evidence
Department of Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum, Canada. friesenv@biology.queensu.ca
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