Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 15, 1360-1371, Copyright © 1998 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
GB Nunn and SE Stanley
Variation in rates of molecular evolution now appears to be widespread. The
demonstration that body size is correlated with rates of molecular
evolution suggests that physiological and ecological factors may be
involved in molecular rate variation, but large-scale comparative studies
are still lacking. Here, we use complete cytochrome b sequences from 85
species of tube-nosed seabirds (order Procellariiformes) and 5 outgroup
species of penguins (order Sphenisciformes) to test for an association
between body mass and rates of molecular evolution within the former avian
order. Cladistic analysis of the 90 sequences estimates a phylogeny largely
consistent with the traditional taxonomy of the Procellariiformes. The
Diomedeidae, Procellariidae, and Pelecanoididae are monophyletic, while the
Hydrobatidae are basal and paraphyletic. However, the two subfamilies
within the Hydrobatidae (Hydrobatinae and Oceanitinae) are monophyletic. A
likelihood ratio test detects significant deviation from clocklike
evolution in our data. Using a sign test for an association between body
mass and branch length in the seabird phylogeny, we find that larger taxa
tend to have shorter terminal branch lengths than smaller taxa. This
observation suggests that rates of mitochondrial DNA evolution are slower
for larger taxa. Rate calibrations based on the fossil record reveal
concordant body size effects. We interpret these results as evidence for a
metabolic rate effect, as the species in this order exhibit large
differences in metabolic rates, which are known to be highly correlated
with body mass in this group. Our results support previous findings of body
size effects and show that this effect can be significant even within a
single avian order. This suggests that even lineage-specific molecular
clocks may not be tenable if calibrations involve taxa with different
metabolic rates.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Body size effects and rates of cytochrome b evolution in tube-nosed seabirds
Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA.
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