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Parallel adaptive radiations in two major clades of placental mammals

Nature volume 409, pages 610–614 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Higher level relationships among placental mammals, as well as the historical biogeography and morphological diversification of this group, remain unclear1,2,3. Here we analyse independent molecular data sets, having aligned lengths of DNA of 5,708 and 2,947 base pairs, respectively, for all orders of placental mammals. Phylogenetic analyses resolve placental orders into four groups: Xenarthra, Afrotheria, Laurasiatheria, and Euarchonta plus Glires. The first three groups are consistently monophyletic with different methods of analysis. Euarchonta plus Glires is monophyletic or paraphyletic depending on the phylogenetic method. A unique nine-base-pair deletion in exon 11 of the BRCA1 gene provides additional support for the monophyly of Afrotheria, which includes proboscideans, sirenians, hyracoids, tubulidentates, macroscelideans, chrysochlorids and tenrecids. Laurasiatheria contains cetartiodactyls, perissodactyls, carnivores, pangolins, bats and eulipotyphlan insectivores. Parallel adaptive radiations have occurred within Laurasiatheria and Afrotheria. In each group, there are aquatic, ungulate and insectivore-like forms.

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Figure 1: Rooted maximum-likelihood trees.
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Acknowledgements

We thank F. Catzeflis for tissue samples. This work was supported by the NSF (M.S.S.) and the TMR program of the European Commission (W.W.d.J.; M.J.S.).

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Author notes

  1. Ole Madsen, Mark Scally and Wilfried W. de Jong: These authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, Nijmegen, 6500 HB, The Netherlands

    Ole Madsen & Wilfried W. de Jong

  2. Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, 92521, California, USA

    Mark Scally, Christophe J. Douady, Diana J. Kao, Heather M. Amrine & Mark S. Springer

  3. Queen's University of Belfast, Biology and Biochemistry, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7BL, United Kingdom

    Mark Scally, Christophe J. Douady & Michael J. Stanhope

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, Box 210006, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, 45221, Ohio, USA

    Ronald W. DeBry

  5. Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01003, Massachusetts, USA

    Ronald Adkins

  6. Graduate Group in Genetics, University of California, Riverside, 92521, California, USA

    Heather M. Amrine & Mark S. Springer

  7. Bioinformatics, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, 1250 South Collegeville Road, UP1345, Collegeville, 19426, Pennsylvania, USA

    Michael J. Stanhope

  8. Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Amsterdam, 1090 GT, The Netherlands

    Wilfried W. de Jong

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  1. Ole Madsen
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Correspondence to Mark S. Springer.

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Madsen, O., Scally, M., Douady, C. et al. Parallel adaptive radiations in two major clades of placental mammals. Nature 409, 610–614 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35054544

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