| Author/Editor | Trontelj, Peter; Gorički, Špela | |
| Title | Monophyly of the family Proteidae (Amphibia: Caudata) tested by phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial 12s rDNA sequences | |
| Type | članek | |
| Source | Nat Croat | |
| Vol. and No. | Letnik 12, št. 3 | |
| Publication year | 2003 | |
| Volume | str. 113-20 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Abstract | The monophyly of the salamander family Proteidae has been under debate for nearly half a century The main objection to a sister relation of the European genus Proteus and the North American Necturus states that their putative synapomorphies are in fact paedomorphic characteristics and may be the result of parallel evolution. In this study, partial sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene were obtained for Proteus specimens from three populations spanning most of its geographic range. The phylogenetic analysis further included sequences from Necturus lewisi and N. maculosus as well as sequences from nine other representatives of extant salamander families. The support for the Necturus + Proteus clade was assessed under different outgroup combinations. The clade was supported with all outgroups and methods (parsimony, maximum likelihood, minimum evolution) used, the bootstrap support ranging from 67% using all taxa to 94% when certain taxa were excluded. With two outgroup combinations, the tree supporting proteid monophyly (= the most parsimonious tree) was significantly better than the shortest tree without monophyletic Proteidae (p<0.05) according to Kishino-Hasegawa-Templeton test. These observations suggest that the relatively low support for proteid monophyly in the complete assortment of salamandroid families was caused by an increase of phylogenetic noise from phylogenetically more distant taxa. Thus, the phylogenetic information from the analyzed portion of the 12S rRNA gene is consistent with a monophyletic Proteidae family, although the examined sequences are short and additional sequences are needed to further evaluate this lasting dispute in the systematics of salamanders. | |
| Descriptors | ECOSYSTEM BIRDS NESTING BEHAVIOR POPULATION DENSITY CROATIA |