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Tejada JV, Antoine PO, Münch P, Billet G, Hautier L, Delsuc F, Condamine FL. Bayesian Total-Evidence Dating Revisits Sloth Phylogeny and Biogeography: A Cautionary Tale on Morphological Clock Analyses. Syst Biol 2024; 73:125-139. [PMID: 38041854 PMCID: PMC11129595 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Combining morphological and molecular characters through Bayesian total-evidence dating allows inferring the phylogenetic and timescale framework of both extant and fossil taxa, while accounting for the stochasticity and incompleteness of the fossil record. Such an integrative approach is particularly needed when dealing with clades such as sloths (Mammalia: Folivora), for which developmental and biomechanical studies have shown high levels of morphological convergence whereas molecular data can only account for a limited percentage of their total species richness. Here, we propose an alternative hypothesis of sloth evolution that emphasizes the pervasiveness of morphological convergence and the importance of considering the fossil record and an adequate taxon sampling in both phylogenetic and biogeographic inferences. Regardless of different clock models and morphological datasets, the extant sloth Bradypus is consistently recovered as a megatherioid, and Choloepus as a mylodontoid, in agreement with molecular-only analyses. The recently extinct Caribbean sloths (Megalocnoidea) are found to be a monophyletic sister-clade of Megatherioidea, in contrast to previous phylogenetic hypotheses. Our results contradict previous morphological analyses and further support the polyphyly of "Megalonychidae," whose members were found in five different clades. Regardless of taxon sampling and clock models, the Caribbean colonization of sloths is compatible with the exhumation of islands along Aves Ridge and its geological time frame. Overall, our total-evidence analysis illustrates the difficulty of positioning highly incomplete fossils, although a robust phylogenetic framework was recovered by an a posteriori removal of taxa with high percentages of missing characters. Elimination of these taxa improved topological resolution by reducing polytomies and increasing node support. However, it introduced a systematic and geographic bias because most of these incomplete specimens are from northern South America. This is evident in biogeographic reconstructions, which suggest Patagonia as the area of origin of many clades when taxa are underrepresented, but Amazonia and/or Central and Southern Andes when all taxa are included. More generally, our analyses demonstrate the instability of topology and divergence time estimates when using different morphological datasets and clock models and thus caution against making macroevolutionary inferences when node support is weak or when uncertainties in the fossil record are not considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia V Tejada
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Pierre-Olivier Antoine
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Philippe Münch
- Géosciences Montpellier, UMR 5243, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Université des Antilles, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Guillaume Billet
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie—Paris, CR2P—UMR 7207, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 8 rue Buffon 75005, Paris
| | - Lionel Hautier
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Frédéric Delsuc
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Fabien L Condamine
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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Du H, Liu Z, Lu SY, Jiang L, Zhou L, Liu JF. Genomic evidence for human-mediated introgressive hybridization and selection in the developed breed. BMC Genomics 2024; 25:331. [PMID: 38565992 PMCID: PMC10986048 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10259-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The pig (Sus Scrofa) is one of the oldest domesticated livestock species that has undergone extensive improvement through modern breeding. European breeds have advantages in lean meat development and highly-productive body type, whereas Asian breeds possess extraordinary fat deposition and reproductive performance. Consequently, Eurasian breeds have been extensively used to develop modern commercial breeds for fast-growing and high prolificacy. However, limited by the sequencing technology, the genome architecture of some nascent developed breeds and the human-mediated impact on their genomes are still unknown. RESULTS Through whole-genome analysis of 178 individuals from an Asian locally developed pig breed, Beijing Black pig, and its two ancestors from two different continents, we found the pervasive inconsistent gene trees and species trees across the genome of Beijing Black pig, which suggests its introgressive hybrid origin. Interestingly, we discovered that this developed breed has more genetic relationships with European pigs and an unexpected introgression from Asian pigs to this breed, which indicated that human-mediated introgression could form the porcine genome architecture in a completely different type compared to native introgression. We identified 554 genomic regions occupied 63.30 Mb with signals of introgression from the Asian ancestry to Beijing Black pig, and the genes in these regions enriched in pathways associated with meat quality, fertility, and disease-resistant. Additionally, a proportion of 7.77% of genomic regions were recognized as regions that have been under selection. Moreover, combined with the results of a genome-wide association study for meat quality traits in the 1537 Beijing Black pig population, two important candidate genes related to meat quality traits were identified. DNAJC6 is related to intramuscular fat content and fat deposition, and RUFY4 is related to meat pH and tenderness. CONCLUSIONS Our research provides insight for analyzing the origins of nascent developed breeds and genome-wide selection remaining in the developed breeds mediated by humans during modern breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Du
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University (West District), No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Zhen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University (West District), No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Shi-Yu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University (West District), No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Li Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University (West District), No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University (West District), No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, 100193, Beijing, China.
| | - Jian-Feng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University (West District), No.2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, 100193, Beijing, China.
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Mera-Rodríguez D, Jourdan H, Ward PS, Shattuck S, Cover SP, Wilson EO, Rabeling C. Biogeography and evolution of social parasitism in Australian Myrmecia bulldog ants revealed by phylogenomics. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023:107825. [PMID: 37244505 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Studying the historical biogeography and life history transitions from eusocial colony life to social parasitism contributes to our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms generating biodiversity in eusocial insects. The ants in the genus Myrmecia are a well-suited system for testing evolutionary hypotheses about how their species diversity was assembled through time because the genus is endemic to Australia with the single exception of the species M. apicalis inhabiting the Pacific Island of New Caledonia, and because at least one social parasite species exists in the genus. However, the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the disjunct biogeographic distribution of M. apicalis and the life history transition(s) to social parasitism remain unexplored. To study the biogeographic origin of the isolated, oceanic species M. apicalis and to reveal the origin and evolution of social parasitism in the genus, we reconstructed a comprehensive phylogeny of the ant subfamily Myrmeciinae. We utilized Ultra Conserved Elements (UCEs) as molecular markers to generate a comprehensive molecular genetic dataset consisting of 2,287 loci per taxon on average for 66 out of the 93 known Myrmecia species as well as for the sister lineage Nothomyrmecia macrops and selected outgroups. Our time-calibrated phylogeny inferred that: (i) stem Myrmeciinae originated during the Paleocene ∼58 Ma ago; (ii) the current disjunct biogeographic distribution of M. apicalis was driven by long-distance dispersal from Australia to New Caledonia during the Miocene ∼14 Ma ago; (iii) the single social parasite species, M. inquilina, evolved directly from one of the two known host species, M. nigriceps, in sympatry via the intraspecific route of social parasite evolution; and (iv) 5 of the 9 previously established taxonomic species groups are non-monophyletic. We suggest minor changes to reconcile the molecular phylogenetic results with the taxonomic classification. Our study enhances our understanding of the evolution and biogeography of Australian bulldog ants, contributes to our knowledge about the evolution of social parasitism in ants, and provides a solid phylogenetic foundation for future inquiries into the biology, taxonomy, and classification of Myrmeciinae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Mera-Rodríguez
- Social Insect Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University. 550 E Orange St., Tempe, AZ 85281, United States of America; Department of Integrative Taxonomy of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim. Garbenstraße 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany; KomBioTa - Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy, University of Hohenheim and State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Hervé Jourdan
- Institute of Research for Development. Promenade Roger Laroque, Nouméa 98848, New Caledonia
| | - Philip S Ward
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States of America
| | - Steven Shattuck
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - Stefan P Cover
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - Edward O Wilson
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America
| | - Christian Rabeling
- Social Insect Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University. 550 E Orange St., Tempe, AZ 85281, United States of America; Department of Integrative Taxonomy of Insects, Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim. Garbenstraße 30, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany; KomBioTa - Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy, University of Hohenheim and State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Germany; Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States of America.
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Pestana C, de Sousa AA, Todorov OS, Beaudet A, Benoit J. Evolutionary history of hominin brain size and phylogenetic comparative methods. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 275:217-232. [PMID: 36841569 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
An absolutely and relatively large brain has traditionally been viewed as a distinctive characteristic of the Homo genus, with anatomically modern humans presented at the apex of a long line of progressive increases in encephalization. Many studies continue to focus attention on increasing brain size in the Homo genus, while excluding measures of absolute and relative brain size of more geologically recent, smaller brained, hominins such as Homo floresiensis, and Homo naledi and smaller brained Homo erectus specimens. This review discusses the benefits of using phylogenetic comparative methods to trace the diverse changes in hominin brain evolution and the drawbacks of not doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Pestana
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Orlin S Todorov
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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5
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Incongruences between morphology and molecular phylogeny provide an insight into the diversification of the Crocidura poensis species complex. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10531. [PMID: 35732784 PMCID: PMC9217945 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12615-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Untangling the factors of morphological evolution has long held a central role in the study of evolutionary biology. Extant speciose clades that have only recently diverged are ideal study subjects, as they allow the examination of rapid morphological variation in a phylogenetic context, providing insights into a clade’s evolution. Here, we focus on skull morphological variability in a widely distributed shrew species complex, the Crocidura poensis species complex. The relative effects of taxonomy, size, geography, climate and habitat on skull form were tested, as well as the presence of a phylogenetic signal. Taxonomy was the best predictor of skull size and shape, but surprisingly both size and shape exhibited no significant phylogenetic signal. This paper describes one of the few cases within a mammal clade where morphological evolution does not match the phylogeny. The second strongest predictor for shape variation was size, emphasizing that allometry can represent an easily accessed source of morphological variability within complexes of cryptic species. Taking into account species relatedness, habitat preferences, geographical distribution and differences in skull form, our results lean in favor of a parapatric speciation model within this complex of species, where divergence occurred along an ecological gradient, rather than a geographic barrier.
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6
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Feng S, Bai M, Rivas-González I, Li C, Liu S, Tong Y, Yang H, Chen G, Xie D, Sears KE, Franco LM, Gaitan-Espitia JD, Nespolo RF, Johnson WE, Yang H, Brandies PA, Hogg CJ, Belov K, Renfree MB, Helgen KM, Boomsma JJ, Schierup MH, Zhang G. Incomplete lineage sorting and phenotypic evolution in marsupials. Cell 2022; 185:1646-1660.e18. [PMID: 35447073 PMCID: PMC9200472 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) makes ancestral genetic polymorphisms persist during rapid speciation events, inducing incongruences between gene trees and species trees. ILS has complicated phylogenetic inference in many lineages, including hominids. However, we lack empirical evidence that ILS leads to incongruent phenotypic variation. Here, we performed phylogenomic analyses to show that the South American monito del monte is the sister lineage of all Australian marsupials, although over 31% of its genome is closer to the Diprotodontia than to other Australian groups due to ILS during ancient radiation. Pervasive conflicting phylogenetic signals across the whole genome are consistent with some of the morphological variation among extant marsupials. We detected hundreds of genes that experienced stochastic fixation during ILS, encoding the same amino acids in non-sister species. Using functional experiments, we confirm how ILS may have directly contributed to hemiplasy in morphological traits that were established during rapid marsupial speciation ca. 60 mya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohong Feng
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Ming Bai
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China; College of Plant Protection, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
| | | | - Cai Li
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | | | - Yijie Tong
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, Hebei 071001, China; Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Lab, Building 1, No. 7 Yiju Road, Yazhou District, Sanya, Hainan 572024, China
| | - Haidong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Guangji Chen
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Duo Xie
- Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Lida M Franco
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad de Ibagué, Carrera 22 Calle 67, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Juan Diego Gaitan-Espitia
- The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Roberto F Nespolo
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia 5090000, Chile; Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 6513677, Chile; Millenium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile; Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi), Valdivia, Chile
| | - Warren E Johnson
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remont Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA; The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Museum Support Center MRC-534, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Rd., Suitland, MD 20746-2863, USA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | - Huanming Yang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; James D. Watson Institute of Genome Sciences, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Parice A Brandies
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Carolyn J Hogg
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Katherine Belov
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Marilyn B Renfree
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Kristofer M Helgen
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Jacobus J Boomsma
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Universitetsparken 15, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Guojie Zhang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China; Villum Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Universitetsparken 15, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China.
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7
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Liu Z, Chen P, Xu DM, Qi FY, Guo YT, Liu Q, Bai J, Zhou X, Shi P. Molecular convergence and transgenic evidence suggest a single origin of laryngeal echolocation in bats. iScience 2022; 25:104114. [PMID: 35391832 PMCID: PMC8980745 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
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Distinguishing Evolutionary Conservation from Derivedness. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12030440. [PMID: 35330191 PMCID: PMC8954198 DOI: 10.3390/life12030440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
While the concept of “evolutionary conservation” has enabled biologists to explain many ancestral features and traits, it has also frequently been misused to evaluate the degree of changes from a common ancestor, or “derivedness”. We propose that the distinction of these two concepts allows us to properly understand phenotypic and organismal evolution. From a methodological aspect, “conservation” mainly considers genes or traits which species have in common, while “derivedness” additionally covers those that are not commonly shared, such as novel or lost traits and genes to evaluate changes from the time of divergence from a common ancestor. Due to these differences, while conservation-oriented methods are effective in identifying ancestral features, they may be prone to underestimating the overall changes accumulated during the evolution of certain lineages. Herein, we describe our recently developed method, “transcriptomic derivedness index”, for estimating the phenotypic derivedness of embryos with a molecular approach using the whole-embryonic transcriptome as a phenotype. Although echinoderms are often considered as highly derived species, our analyses with this method showed that their embryos, at least at the transcriptomic level, may not be much more derived than those of chordates. We anticipate that the future development of derivedness-oriented methods could provide quantitative indicators for finding highly/lowly evolvable traits.
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Darlim G, Lee MSY, Walter J, Rabi M. The impact of molecular data on the phylogenetic position of the putative oldest crown crocodilian and the age of the clade. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210603. [PMID: 35135314 PMCID: PMC8825999 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of molecular data for living groups is vital for interpreting fossils, especially when morphology-only analyses retrieve problematic phylogenies for living forms. These topological discrepancies impact on the inferred phylogenetic position of many fossil taxa. In Crocodylia, morphology-based phylogenetic inferences differ fundamentally in placing Gavialis basal to all other living forms, whereas molecular data consistently unite it with crocodylids. The Cenomanian Portugalosuchus azenhae was recently described as the oldest crown crocodilian, with affinities to Gavialis, based on morphology-only analyses, thus representing a potentially important new molecular clock calibration. Here, we performed analyses incorporating DNA data into these morphological datasets, using scaffold and supermatrix (total evidence) approaches, in order to evaluate the position of basal crocodylians, including Portugalosuchus. Our analyses incorporating DNA data robustly recovered Portugalosuchus outside Crocodylia (as well as thoracosaurs, planocraniids and Borealosuchus spp.), questioning the status of Portugalosuchus as crown crocodilian and any future use as a node calibration in molecular clock studies. Finally, we discuss the impact of ambiguous fossil calibration and how, with the increasing size of phylogenomic datasets, the molecular scaffold might be an efficient (though imperfect) approximation of more rigorous but demanding supermatrix analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Darlim
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael S. Y. Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, South Australia 5001, Australia,Australia Earth Sciences Section, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Jules Walter
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany,Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universitàt degli Studi di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Márton Rabi
- Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany,Central Natural Science Collections, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
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What Is an “Arachnid”? Consensus, Consilience, and Confirmation Bias in the Phylogenetics of Chelicerata. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13110568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The basal phylogeny of Chelicerata is one of the opaquest parts of the animal Tree of Life, defying resolution despite application of thousands of loci and millions of sites. At the forefront of the debate over chelicerate relationships is the monophyly of Arachnida, which has been refuted by most analyses of molecular sequence data. A number of phylogenomic datasets have suggested that Xiphosura (horseshoe crabs) are derived arachnids, refuting the traditional understanding of arachnid monophyly. This result is regarded as controversial, not least by paleontologists and morphologists, due to the widespread perception that arachnid monophyly is unambiguously supported by morphological data. Moreover, some molecular datasets have been able to recover arachnid monophyly, galvanizing the belief that any result that challenges arachnid monophyly is artefactual. Here, we explore the problems of distinguishing phylogenetic signal from noise through a series of in silico experiments, focusing on datasets that have recently supported arachnid monophyly. We assess the claim that filtering by saturation rate is a valid criterion for recovering Arachnida. We demonstrate that neither saturation rate, nor the ability to assemble a molecular phylogenetic dataset supporting a given outcome with maximal nodal support, is a guarantor of phylogenetic accuracy. Separately, we review empirical morphological phylogenetic datasets to examine characters supporting Arachnida and the downstream implication of a single colonization of terrestrial habitats. We show that morphological support of arachnid monophyly is contingent upon a small number of ambiguous or incorrectly coded characters, most of these tautologically linked to adaptation to terrestrial habitats.
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12
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Guo YT, Zhang J, Xu DM, Tang LZ, Liu Z. Phylogenomic relationships and molecular convergences to subterranean life in rodent family Spalacidae. Zool Res 2021; 42:671-674. [PMID: 34490760 PMCID: PMC8455469 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
All extant species in the rodent family Spalacidae are subterranean and have evolved various traits for underground life. However, the phylogenomic relationships among its three subfamilies (Myospalacinae, Spalacinae, and Rhizomyinae) and the molecular basis underlying their adaptations to underground life remain poorly understood. Here, we inferred the phylogenomic relationships among these subfamilies based on de novo sequencing the genome of the hoary bamboo rat ( Rhizomys pruinosus). Analyses showed that ~50% of the identified 11 028 one-to-one orthologous protein-coding genes and the concatenated sequences of these orthologous genes strongly supported a sister relationship between Myospalacinae and Rhizomyinae. The three subfamilies diversified from each other within ~2 million years. Compared with the non-subterranean controls with similar divergence dates, the spalacids shared more convergent genes with the African subterranean mole-rats at the genomic scale due to more rapid protein sequence evolution. Furthermore, these convergent genes were enriched in the functional categories of carboxylic acid transport, vascular morphogenesis, and response to oxidative stress, which are closely associated with adaptations to the hypoxic-hypercapnic underground environment. Our study presents a well-supported phylogenomic relationship among the three subfamilies of Spalacidae and offers new insights into the molecular adaptations of spalacids living underground.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Ting Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
| | - Jia Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Dong-Ming Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China
| | - Li-Zhou Tang
- Center for Yunnan Plateau Biological Resources Protection and Utilization, College of Biological Resource and Food Engineering, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, Yunnan 655011, China. E-mail:
| | - Zhen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China. E-mail:
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13
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Brady PL, Springer MS. The effects of fossil taxa, hypothetical predicted ancestors, and a molecular scaffold on pseudoextinction analyses of extant placental orders. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257338. [PMID: 34534236 PMCID: PMC8448315 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudoextinction analyses, which simulate extinction in extant taxa, use molecular phylogenetics to assess the accuracy of morphological phylogenetics. Previous pseudoextinction analyses have shown a failure of morphological phylogenetics to place some individual placental orders in the correct superordinal clade. Recent work suggests that the inclusion of hypothetical ancestors of extant placental clades, estimated by ancestral state reconstructions of morphological characters, may increase the accuracy of morphological phylogenetic analyses. However, these studies reconstructed direct hypothetical ancestors for each extant taxon based on a well-corroborated molecular phylogeny, which is not possible for extinct taxa that lack molecular data. It remains to be determined if pseudoextinct taxa, and by proxy extinct taxa, can be accurately placed when their immediate hypothetical ancestors are unknown. To investigate this, we employed molecular scaffolds with the largest available morphological data set for placental mammals. Each placental order was sequentially treated as pseudoextinct by exempting it from the molecular scaffold and recoding soft morphological characters as missing for all its constituent species. For each pseudoextinct data set, we omitted the pseudoextinct taxon and performed a parsimony ancestral state reconstruction to obtain hypothetical predicted ancestors. Each pseudoextinct order was then evaluated in seven parsimony analyses that employed combinations of fossil taxa, hypothetical predicted ancestors, and a molecular scaffold. In treatments that included fossils, hypothetical predicted ancestors, and a molecular scaffold, only 8 of 19 pseudoextinct placental orders (42%) retained the same interordinal placement as on the molecular scaffold. In treatments that included hypothetical predicted ancestors but not fossils or a scaffold, only four placental orders (21%) were recovered in positions that are congruent with the scaffold. These results indicate that hypothetical predicted ancestors do not increase the accuracy of pseudoextinct taxon placement when the immediate hypothetical ancestor of the taxon is unknown. Hypothetical predicted ancestors are not a panacea for morphological phylogenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peggy L. Brady
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States of America
| | - Mark S. Springer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States of America
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14
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Callender-Crowe LM, Sansom RS. Osteological characters of birds and reptiles are more congruent with molecular phylogenies than soft characters are. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Despite increased use of genomic data in phylogenetics, morphological information remains vital for resolving evolutionary relationships, particularly for fossil taxa. The properties and models of evolution of molecular sequence data are well characterized and mature, relative to those of morphological data. Furthermore, heterogeneity, integration and relative homoplasy of empirical morphological data could prove problematic for phylogenetic reconstruction. Here we compare osteological and non-osteological characters of 28 morphological datasets of extant saurians in terms of their homoplasy relative to molecular trees. Analysis of individual avian datasets finds osteological characters to be significantly more consistent with molecular data than soft characters are. Significant differences between morphological partitions were also observed in the age at which characters resolved on molecular trees. Osteological character changes occur relatively earlier in deep branches, whilst soft-tissue character transitions are more recent in shallow branches. The combined results demonstrate differences in evolutionary dynamics between morphological partitions. This may reflect evolutionary constraints acting on osteological characters, compared with the relative lability of soft characters. Furthermore, it provides some support to phylogenetic interpretations of fossil data, including dinosaurs, which are predominately osteological. Recent advances in amphibian and mammal phylogenetics may make these patterns possible to test for all tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah M Callender-Crowe
- The University of Manchester, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Manchester, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Robert S Sansom
- The University of Manchester, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Manchester, UK
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15
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Abstract
Phylogenomics, the study of phylogenetic relationships among taxa based on their genome sequences, has emerged as the preferred phylogenetic method because of the wealth of phylogenetic information contained in genome sequences. Genome sequencing, however, can be prohibitively expensive, especially for taxa with huge genomes and when many taxa need sequencing. Consequently, the less costly phylotranscriptomics has seen an increased use in recent years. Phylotranscriptomics reconstructs phylogenies using DNA sequences derived from transcriptomes, which are often orders of magnitude smaller than genomes. However, in the absence of corresponding genome sequences, comparative analyses of transcriptomes can be challenging and it is unclear whether phylotranscriptomics is as reliable as phylogenomics. Here, we respectively compare the phylogenomic and phylotranscriptomic trees of 22 mammals and 15 plants that have both sequenced nuclear genomes and publicly available RNA sequencing data from multiple tissues. We found that phylotranscriptomic analysis can be sensitive to orthologous gene identification. When a rigorous method for identifying orthologs is employed, phylogenomic and phylotranscriptomic trees are virtually identical to each other, regardless of the tissue of origin of the transcriptomes and whether the same tissue is used across species. These findings validate phylotranscriptomics, brighten its prospect, and illustrate the criticality of reliable ortholog detection in such practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seongmin Cheon
- School of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Jianzhi Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Chungoo Park
- School of Biological Sciences and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
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16
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Caparros M, Prat S. A Phylogenetic Networks perspective on reticulate human evolution. iScience 2021; 24:102359. [PMID: 33898948 PMCID: PMC8054162 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a methodological phylogenetic reconstruction approach combining Maximum Parsimony and Phylogenetic Networks methods for the study of human evolution applied to phenotypic craniodental characters of 22 hominin species. The approach consists in selecting and validating a tree-like most parsimonious scenario out of several parsimony runs based on various numerical constraints. An intermediate step from tree to network methods is implemented by running an analysis with a reduced apomorphous character dataset that generates multiple parsimonious trees. These most parsimonious trees are then used as input for a Phylogenetic Networks analysis that results in consensus and reticulate networks. We show here that the phylogenetic tree-like definition of the genus Homo is a relative concept linked to craniodental characters that come in support of hypothetical Last Common Ancestors of the most parsimonious scenario and infer that the Homo reticulate network concords with recent findings in paleogenomic research regarding its mode of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Caparros
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l’Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Prat
- UMR 7194 "Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique" CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l’Homme, Palais de Chaillot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France
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17
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Norman DB. Scelidosaurus harrisonii (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Early Jurassic of Dorset, England: biology and phylogenetic relationships. Zool J Linn Soc 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A layer of keratinous scutes encased the skull of Scelidosaurus. The neurocranium and the associated principal sensory systems of this dinosaur are described. The cranial musculature is reconstructed and a subsequent functional analysis suggests that jaw motion was orthal, allowing pulping of vegetation and some high-angle shearing between opposing teeth. Wishboning of the lower jaw was enabled by transverse displacement of the quadrates, and the long-axis mandibular torsion that occurred during the chewing cycle was permitted by flexibility at the dentary symphysis. Limb proportions and pectoral and pelvic musculature reconstructions suggest that Scelidosaurus was a facultative quadruped of ‘average’ locomotor ability. It retained some anatomical features indicative of a bipedal-cursorial ancestry. Hindlimb motion was oblique-to-parasagittal to accommodate the girth of the abdomen. Scelidosaurus used a combination of costal and abdominally driven aspiration. The hypothesis that respiration was an ‘evolutionary driver’ of opisthopuby in all dinosaurs is overly simplistic. A critical assessment of datasets used to analyse the systematics of ornithischians (and thyreophoran subclades) has led to a revised dataset that positions Scelidosaurus as a stem ankylosaur, rather than a stem thyreophoran. The value of phylogenetic definitions is reconsidered in the light of the new thyreophoran cladogram.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Norman
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK
- Christ’s College, St. Andrew’s Street, Cambridge, UK
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18
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Li Y, Ruta M, Wills MA. Craniodental and Postcranial Characters of Non-Avian Dinosauria Often Imply Different Trees. Syst Biol 2020; 69:638-659. [PMID: 31769837 PMCID: PMC7302058 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the increasing importance of molecular sequence data, morphology still makes an important contribution to resolving the phylogeny of many groups, and is the only source of data for most fossils. Most systematists sample morphological characters as broadly as possible on the principle of total evidence. However, it is not uncommon for sampling to be focused on particular aspects of anatomy, either because characters therein are believed to be more informative, or because preservation biases restrict what is available. Empirically, the optimal trees from partitions of morphological data sets often represent significantly different hypotheses of relationships. Previous work on hard-part versus soft-part characters across animal phyla revealed significant differences in about a half of sampled studies. Similarly, studies of the craniodental versus postcranial characters of vertebrates revealed significantly different trees in about one-third of cases, with the highest rates observed in non-avian dinosaurs. We test whether this is a generality here with a much larger sample of 81 published data matrices across all major dinosaur groups. Using the incongruence length difference test and two variants of the incongruence relationship difference test, we found significant incongruence in about 50% of cases. Incongruence is not uniformly distributed across major dinosaur clades, being highest (63%) in Theropoda and lowest (25%) in Thyreophora. As in previous studies, our partition tests show some sensitivity to matrix dimensions and the amount and distribution of missing entries. Levels of homoplasy and retained synapomorphy are similar between partitions, such that incongruence must partly reflect differences in patterns of homoplasy between partitions, which may itself be a function of modularity and mosaic evolution. Finally, we implement new tests to determine which partition yields trees most similar to those from the entire matrix. Despite no bias across dinosaurs overall, there are striking differences between major groups. The craniodental characters of Ornithischia and the postcranial characters of Saurischia yield trees most similar to the "total evidence" trees derived from the entire matrix. Trees from these same character partitions also tend to be most stratigraphically congruent: a mutual consilience suggesting that those partitions yield more accurate trees. [Dinosauria; homoplasy; partition homogeneity.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Yimeng Li
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, The Milner Centre for Evolution, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Marcello Ruta
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Green Lane, Lincoln LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Matthew A Wills
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, The Milner Centre for Evolution, The University of Bath, The Avenue, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
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19
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Phylogeny and highland adaptation of Chinese species in Allium section Daghestanica (Amaryllidaceae) revealed by transcriptome sequencing. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2020; 146:106737. [PMID: 31982455 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Allium L. is one of the largest monocotyledonous genera with extensive distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. The fundamental phylogenies of Allium have been investigated using many morphological and molecular characters. However, the morphological characters may not agree with the molecular results in some Allium groups or sections (such as the Chinese Allium section Daghestanica), which may result in ambiguous species relationships and hinder further evolutionary and adaptive researches. Here, transcriptome sequences of the six Chinese endemics from Allium section Daghestanica were collected, with their single-copy genes (SCGs) were extracted. The interspecies relationships were analyzed using concatenation and coalescent methods. The branch-site model (BSM) was conducted to detect the positively selected genes (PSGs) in five highland species of this section. Based on 1644, 1281 and 1580 SCGs in flowers, leaves, and flowers-leaves combination respectively, a robust consistent and well-resolved phylogeny was generated from the concatenation method. Strong conflicts among individual gene trees were detected in the coalescent method, and morphological characters were incongruent with molecular relationships to some degree. Many PSGs were involved in responses of various stresses and stimuli (e.g. hypoxia, low temperature, aridity), DNA repair, metabolism, nutrient or energy intake, photosynthesis, and signal transduction. Our study revealed a clear interspecies relationship of Chinese endemics in Allium section Daghestanica and suggested that the discordance between morphological characters and molecular relationships might result from that the former are more susceptible to convergence compared with the latter. PSGs detected in our study may provide some insights into highland adaptation in Allium species.
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20
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Paterson RS, Rybczynski N, Kohno N, Maddin HC. A Total Evidence Phylogenetic Analysis of Pinniped Phylogeny and the Possibility of Parallel Evolution Within a Monophyletic Framework. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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21
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Bertrand OC, Shelley SL, Wible JR, Williamson TE, Holbrook LT, Chester SGB, Butler IB, Brusatte SL. Virtual endocranial and inner ear endocasts of the Paleocene 'condylarth' Chriacus: new insight into the neurosensory system and evolution of early placental mammals. J Anat 2019; 236:21-49. [PMID: 31667836 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The end-Cretaceous mass extinction allowed placental mammals to diversify ecologically and taxonomically as they filled ecological niches once occupied by non-avian dinosaurs and more basal mammals. Little is known, however, about how the neurosensory systems of mammals changed after the extinction, and what role these systems played in mammalian diversification. We here use high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scanning to describe the endocranial and inner ear endocasts of two species, Chriacus pelvidens and Chriacus baldwini, which belong to a cluster of 'archaic' placental mammals called 'arctocyonid condylarths' that thrived during the ca. 10 million years after the extinction (the Paleocene Epoch), but whose relationships to extant placentals are poorly understood. The endocasts provide new insight into the paleobiology of the long-mysterious 'arctocyonids', and suggest that Chriacus was an animal with an encephalization quotient (EQ) range of 0.12-0.41, which probably relied more on its sense of smell than vision, because the olfactory bulbs are proportionally large but the neocortex and petrosal lobules are less developed. Agility scores, estimated from the dimensions of the semicircular canals of the inner ear, indicate that Chriacus was slow to moderately agile, and its hearing capabilities, estimated from cochlear dimensions, suggest similarities with the extant aardvark. Chriacus shares many brain features with other Paleocene mammals, such as a small lissencephalic brain, large olfactory bulbs and small petrosal lobules, which are likely plesiomorphic for Placentalia. The inner ear of Chriacus also shares derived characteristics of the elliptical and spherical recesses with extinct species that belong to Euungulata, the extant placental group that includes artiodactyls and perissodactyls. This lends key evidence to the hypothesized close relationship between Chriacus and the extant ungulate groups, and demonstrates that neurosensory features can provide important insight into both the paleobiology and relationships of early placental mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ornella C Bertrand
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sarah L Shelley
- Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - John R Wible
- Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - Luke T Holbrook
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA
| | - Stephen G B Chester
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, USA.,Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ian B Butler
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Stephen L Brusatte
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, Edinburgh, UK.,New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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22
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Burbrink FT, Grazziotin FG, Pyron RA, Cundall D, Donnellan S, Irish F, Keogh JS, Kraus F, Murphy RW, Noonan B, Raxworthy CJ, Ruane S, Lemmon AR, Lemmon EM, Zaher H. Interrogating Genomic-Scale Data for Squamata (Lizards, Snakes, and Amphisbaenians) Shows no Support for Key Traditional Morphological Relationships. Syst Biol 2019; 69:502-520. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Genomics is narrowing uncertainty in the phylogenetic structure for many amniote groups. For one of the most diverse and species-rich groups, the squamate reptiles (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians), an inverse correlation between the number of taxa and loci sampled still persists across all publications using DNA sequence data and reaching a consensus on the relationships among them has been highly problematic. In this study, we use high-throughput sequence data from 289 samples covering 75 families of squamates to address phylogenetic affinities, estimate divergence times, and characterize residual topological uncertainty in the presence of genome-scale data. Importantly, we address genomic support for the traditional taxonomic groupings Scleroglossa and Macrostomata using novel machine-learning techniques. We interrogate genes using various metrics inherent to these loci, including parsimony-informative sites (PIS), phylogenetic informativeness, length, gaps, number of substitutions, and site concordance to understand why certain loci fail to find previously well-supported molecular clades and how they fail to support species-tree estimates. We show that both incomplete lineage sorting and poor gene-tree estimation (due to a few undesirable gene properties, such as an insufficient number of PIS), may account for most gene and species-tree discordance. We find overwhelming signal for Toxicofera, and also show that none of the loci included in this study supports Scleroglossa or Macrostomata. We comment on the origins and diversification of Squamata throughout the Mesozoic and underscore remaining uncertainties that persist in both deeper parts of the tree (e.g., relationships between Dibamia, Gekkota, and remaining squamates; among the three toxicoferan clades Iguania, Serpentes, and Anguiformes) and within specific clades (e.g., affinities among gekkotan, pleurodont iguanians, and colubroid families).
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank T Burbrink
- Department of Herpetology, The American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street at Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Felipe G Grazziotin
- Laboratório de Coleções Zoológicas, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500—Butantã, São Paulo—SP 05503-900, Brazil
| | - R Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - David Cundall
- Department of Biological Sciences, 1 W. Packer Avenue, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Steve Donnellan
- South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, SA 5005 Australia
| | - Frances Irish
- Department of Biological Sciences, Moravian College, 1200 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018, US
| | - J Scott Keogh
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Fred Kraus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Robert W Murphy
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queens Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
| | - Brice Noonan
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS 38677, USA
| | - Christopher J Raxworthy
- Department of Herpetology, The American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street at Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Sara Ruane
- Department of Biological Sciences, 206 Boyden Hall, Rutgers University, 195 University Avenue, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Alan R Lemmon
- Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University, Dirac Science Library, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4102, USA
| | - Emily Moriarty Lemmon
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4295, USA
| | - Hussam Zaher
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil CEP 04263-000, Brazil
- Centre de Recherche sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements (CR2P), UMR 7207 CNRS/MNHN/Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, 8 rue Buffon, CP 38, 75005 Paris, France
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23
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Al Sayad S, Yassin A. Quantifying the extent of morphological homoplasy: A phylogenetic analysis of 490 characters in Drosophila. Evol Lett 2019; 3:286-298. [PMID: 31171984 PMCID: PMC6546384 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Homoplasy is a fundamental phenomenon in evolutionary biology but an appraisal of its extent at the morphological level is still lacking. Here, we analyzed the evolution of 490 morphological characters conceptualized among 56 drosophilid species. We found that two thirds of morphological changes were homoplastic and that the level of homoplasy depended on the stage of development and the type of the organ, with the adult terminalia being the least homoplastic. In spite of its predominance at the character change level, homoplasy accounts for only ∼13% of between species similarities in pairwise comparisons. These results provide empirical insights on the limits of morphological changes and the frequency of recurrent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinan Al Sayad
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB)Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE57 rue Cuvier, CP 50,75005ParisFrance
| | - Amir Yassin
- Institut Systématique Evolution Biodiversité (ISYEB)Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, MNHN, Sorbonne Université, EPHE57 rue Cuvier, CP 50,75005ParisFrance
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24
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Sookias RB. Exploring the effects of character construction and choice, outgroups and analytical method on phylogenetic inference from discrete characters in extant crocodilians. Zool J Linn Soc 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Phylogenies for fossil taxa must be inferred from morphology, but accuracy of inference is questionable. Here, morphological characters for extant crocodilians are investigated to assess how to improve inference accuracy. The homoplasy of characters is assessed against a DNA-based phylogenetic tree. Cranial characters are significantly less homoplastic, but this result is perhaps confounded by research effort. Meristic characters are significantly more homoplastic and should be used with caution. Characters were reassessed first hand and documented. Those characters passing tests of robust construction are significantly less homoplastic. Suggestions are made for means to improve coding of discrete characters. Phylogenies inferred using only robust characters and a reassessed matrix, including corrected scorings, were not overall closer to the DNA tree, but did often place the gharial (Gavialis) in a position agreeing with or closer to it. The effects of the choice of analytical method were modest, but Bayesian analysis of the reassessed matrix placed Gavialis and Mecistops (slender-snouted crocodile) in DNA-concordant positions. Use of extant rather than extinct outgroups, even with the original matrix, placed Gavialis in a more DNA-concordant position, as did factoring out 3D skull shape. The morphological case for placement of Gavialis outside other extant crocodilians is arguably overstated, with many characters linked to skull shape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland B Sookias
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße, Berlin, Germany
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25
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Nilsson MA, Zheng Y, Kumar V, Phillips MJ, Janke A. Speciation Generates Mosaic Genomes in Kangaroos. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:33-44. [PMID: 29182740 PMCID: PMC5758907 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The iconic Australasian kangaroos and wallabies represent a successful marsupial radiation. However, the evolutionary relationship within the two genera, Macropus and Wallabia, is controversial: mitochondrial and nuclear genes, and morphological data have produced conflicting scenarios regarding the phylogenetic relationships, which in turn impact the classification and taxonomy. We sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 11 kangaroos to investigate the evolutionary cause of the observed phylogenetic conflict. A multilocus coalescent analysis using ∼14,900 genome fragments, each 10 kb long, significantly resolved the species relationships between and among the sister-genera Macropus and Wallabia. The phylogenomic approach reconstructed the swamp wallaby (Wallabia) as nested inside Macropus, making this genus paraphyletic. However, the phylogenomic analyses indicate multiple conflicting phylogenetic signals in the swamp wallaby genome. This is interpreted as at least one introgression event between the ancestor of the genus Wallabia and a now extinct ghost lineage outside the genus Macropus. Additional phylogenetic signals must therefore be caused by incomplete lineage sorting and/or introgression, but available statistical methods cannot convincingly disentangle the two processes. In addition, the relationships inside the Macropus subgenus M. (Notamacropus) represent a hard polytomy. Thus, the relationships between tammar, red-necked, agile, and parma wallabies remain unresolvable even with whole-genome data. Even if most methods resolve bifurcating trees from genomic data, hard polytomies, incomplete lineage sorting, and introgression complicate the interpretation of the phylogeny and thus taxonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Nilsson
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Yichen Zheng
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Vikas Kumar
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Matthew J Phillips
- School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Axel Janke
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity, Biologicum, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Chabrol O, Royer‐Carenzi M, Pontarotti P, Didier G. Detecting the molecular basis of phenotypic convergence. Methods Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Chabrol
- Aix Marseille UnivCNRSCentrale MarseilleI2M Marseille France
| | | | - Pierre Pontarotti
- Aix Marseille UnivCNRSCentrale MarseilleI2M Marseille France
- Aix Marseille UnivIRD, APHMMEPHIIHU Méditerranée Infection Marseille France
| | - Gilles Didier
- Aix Marseille UnivCNRSCentrale MarseilleI2M Marseille France
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27
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Bapst DW, Schreiber HA, Carlson SJ. Combined Analysis of Extant Rhynchonellida (Brachiopoda) using Morphological and Molecular Data. Syst Biol 2018; 67:32-48. [PMID: 28482055 PMCID: PMC5790130 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syx049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Independent molecular and morphological phylogenetic analyses have often produced discordant results for certain groups which, for fossil-rich groups, raises the possibility that morphological data might mislead in those groups for which we depend upon morphology the most. Rhynchonellide brachiopods, with more than 500 extinct genera but only 19 extant genera represented today, provide an opportunity to explore the factors that produce contentious phylogenetic signal across datasets, as previous phylogenetic hypotheses generated from molecular sequence data bear little agreement with those constructed using morphological characters. Using a revised matrix of 66 morphological characters, and published ribosomal DNA sequences, we performed a series of combined phylogenetic analyses to identify conflicting phylogenetic signals. We completed a series of parsimony-based and Bayesian analyses, varying the data used, the taxa included, and the models used in the Bayesian analyses. We also performed simulation-based sensitivity analyses to assess whether the small size of the morphological data partition relative to the molecular data influenced the results of the combined analyses. In order to compare and contrast a large number of phylogenetic analyses and their resulting summary trees, we developed a measure for the incongruence between two topologies and simultaneously ignore any differences in phylogenetic resolution. Phylogenetic hypotheses generated using only morphological characters differed among each other, and with previous analyses, whereas molecular-only and combined Bayesian analyses produced extremely similar topologies. Characters historically associated with traditional classification in the Rhynchonellida have very low consistency indices on the topology preferred by the combined Bayesian analyses. Overall, this casts doubt on the use of morphological systematics to resolve relationships among the crown rhynchonellide brachiopods. However, expanding our dataset to a larger number of extinct taxa with intermediate morphologies is necessary to exclude the possibility that the morphology of extant taxa is not dominated by convergence along long branches.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Bapst
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Holly A Schreiber
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve, 3556 Lakeshore Rd, Ste. 210 Blasdell, NY 14219, USA
| | - Sandra J Carlson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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28
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Thomas GWC, Hahn MW, Hahn Y. The Effects of Increasing the Number of Taxa on Inferences of Molecular Convergence. Genome Biol Evol 2017; 9:213-221. [PMID: 28057728 PMCID: PMC5381636 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evw306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Convergent evolution provides insight into the link between phenotype and genotype. Recently, large-scale comparative studies of convergent evolution have become possible, but researchers are still trying to determine the best way to design these types of analyses. One aspect of molecular convergence studies that has not yet been investigated is how taxonomic sample size affects inferences of molecular convergence. Here we show that increased sample size decreases the amount of inferred molecular convergence associated with the three convergent transitions to a marine environment in mammals. The sampling of more taxa-both with and without the convergent phenotype-reveals that alleles associated only with marine mammals in small datasets are actually more widespread, or are not shared by all marine species. The sampling of more taxa also allows finer resolution of ancestral substitutions, revealing that they are not in fact on lineages leading to solely marine species. We revisit a previous study on marine mammals and find that only 7 of the reported 43 genes with convergent substitutions still show signs of convergence with a larger number of background species. However, four of those seven genes also showed signs of positive selection in the original analysis and may still be good candidates for adaptive convergence. Though our study is framed around the convergence of marine mammals, we expect our conclusions on taxonomic sampling are generalizable to any study of molecular convergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregg W C Thomas
- Department of Biology and School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Matthew W Hahn
- Department of Biology and School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Yoonsoo Hahn
- Department of Life Science, Research Center for Biomolecules and Biosystems, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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