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Molecular Biology and Evolution, Vol 9, 309-322, Copyright © 1992 by Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Character analysis and the integration of molecular and morphological data in an understanding of sand dollar phylogeny

CR Marshall
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1567.

Reconciling discordant morphological and molecular phylogenies remains a problem in modern systematics. By examining conflicting DNA- hybridization and morphological phylogenies of sand dollars, I show that morphological criteria may be used to help evaluate the reliability of molecular phylogenies where they differ from morphological trees. All available criteria for assessing the reliability of DNA-hybridization phylogenies suggest that the sand dollar DNA-hybridization phylogeny is robust. Standard homology- recognition criteria are used to assess the a priori reliabilities of the morphological attributes associated with the node drawn into question by the DNA data, and it is shown that these attributes are among the least phylogenetically informative of all the morphological characters. Moreover, the questioned node has the smallest number of supporting characters, and most of these characters are associated with the food grooves, which suggests that they may be functionally correlated. Thus, on the basis of the analysis of the morphological data and given the robustness of the DNA tree, the DNA phylogeny is preferred. Further, paleobiogeographic data support the DNA tree rather than the morphological tree, and a plausible heterochronic mechanism has been proposed that may account for the homoplasious morphological evolution that must have occurred if the DNA tree is correct.
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This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Journal of PaleontologyHome page
PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS OF TERTIARY MONOPHORASTERID SAND DOLLARS (CLYPEASTEROIDA: ECHINOIDEA) FROM SOUTH AMERICA
Journal of Paleontology, March 1, 2000; 74(2): 263 - 281.


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 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
K. G. McCracken and F. H. Sheldon
Avian vocalizations and phylogenetic signal
PNAS, April 15, 1997; 94(8): 3833 - 3836.
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