Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 13, 1087-1105, Copyright © 1996 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
JW Sites Jr, SK Davis, T Guerra, JB Iverson and HL Snell
The lizard family Iguanidae comprises eight living genera distributed
throughout the New and Old World, and includes several island endemics. We
reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among these genera using 90
previously published morphological characters, to which we add a molecular
(mtDNA sequence) data set that includes 742 nucleotides of the ND4 gene and
the complete sequences of the histidine, serine, and leucine tRNAs (217
nucleotides). Trees were initially constructed separately from these three
data sets, and then tested for significant conflict in topologies that
would suggest the influence of different evolutionary processes. The three
data sets were then combined, and a single tree was obtained from the total
evidence that permitted identification of potential sources of character
incongruence. Several additional analyses of the combined data sets were
repeated with sequential deletion of successive classes of homoplastic
characters, and we show that the same single tree topology is recovered in
most cases. However, part of the tree structure collapses when the matrix
of combined characters is completely purged of all homoplastic characters.
We argue that this extreme results in an unacceptable loss of phylogenetic
information, and we present a single phylogenetic hypothesis for all living
genera of iguanas. We show that this hypothesis is significantly more
parsimonious than either of two previously published trees, and we discuss
the evolution and biogeography of the Iguanidae based on the preferred
hypothesis.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Character congruence and phylogenetic signal in molecular and morphological data sets: a case study in the living Iguanas (Squamata, Iguanidae)
Department of Zoology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. sitesj@acdl.byu.edu
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  J. S. Keogh, D. L Edwards, R. N Fisher, and P. S Harlow Molecular and morphological analysis of the critically endangered Fijian iguanas reveals cryptic diversity and a complex biogeographic history Phil Trans R Soc B, October 27, 2008; 363(1508): 3413 - 3426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. J. Wiens The Role of Morphological Data in Phylogeny Reconstruction Syst Biol, August 1, 2004; 53(4): 653 - 661. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. S. Y. Lee Uninformative Characters and Apparent Conflict Between Molecules and Morphology Mol. Biol. Evol., April 1, 2001; 18(4): 676 - 680. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|