A complete estimate of the phylogenetic relationships in Ruminantia: a dated species-level supertree of the extant ruminants

Abstract

This paper presents the first complete estimate of the phylogenetic relationships among all 197 species of extant and recently extinct ruminants combining morphological, ethological and molecular information. The composite tree is derived by applying matrix representation using parsimony analysis to 164 previous partial estimates, and is remarkably well resolved, containing 159 nodes (> 80 % of the potential nodes in the completely resolved phylogeny). Bremer decay index has been used to indicate the degree of certainty associated with each clade. The ages of over 80% of the clades in the tree have been estimated from information in the literature. The supertree for Ruminantia illustrates which areas of ruminant phylogeny are still only roughly known because of taxa with controversial relationships (e.g. Odocoileini, Antilopinae) or not studied in great detail (e.g. Muntiacus). It supports the monophyly of the ruminant families and Pecora. According to this analysis Antilocapridae and Giraffidae constitute the superfamily Giraffoidea, which is the sister group of a clade clustering Bovoidea and Cervoidea. The position of several taxa whose systematic positions have remained controversial in the past (Saiga, Pelea, Aepycerus, Pantholops, Ammotragus, Pseudois) is unambiguously established. Nevertheless, the position of Neotragus and Oreotragus within the original radiation of the non-bovine bovids remains unresolved in the present analysis. It also shows that six successive rapid cladogenesis events occurred within the infraorder Pecora during the Oligocene to middle Pliocene, which coincided with periods of global climatic change. Finally, the presented supertree will be a useful framework for comparative and evolutionary biologists interested in studies involving the ruminants.

Morphometry and DNA barcoding reveal cryptic diversity in the genus Enteromius (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from the Congo basin, Africa

“…However, the phylogenetic relationships among the species remain largely unresolved, as there is a lack of resolution in several parts of the ML tree. While it is possible that the lack of resolution is due to incomplete taxon sampling and/or to the small number of characters, we suggest a plausible cause to be rapid radiation, which often results in difficulties in resolving phylogenetic patterns (Fernández & Vrba 2005;Koblmüller et al 2010). The unresolved phylogenies would in that case be the result of an almost concurrent differentiation between populations from different river stretches on a short evolutionary timescale.…”

Higher masseter muscle mass in grazing than in browsing ruminants

“…Taxa grouping in the bifurcating process followed the phylogenies proposed by Pitra et al (2004) for Cervidae and by Fernandez and Vrba (2005) for all other taxa. The subject of the comparative analyses were individual species, each characterized by its respective mean masseter mass as described above.…”

Investigation of the genetic distances of bovids and cervids using BovineSNP50k BeadChip

“…A 25.1-30.1 million year divergence was found between these two families. The richness in species and geographical spread of ruminants are reasons for the general interest in much phylogenetic and diversity research (Hassanin and Douzery, 2003;Fernández and Vrba, 2005;Decker et al, 2009). Bovidae and Cervidae represent the greatest degree of taxonomic and geographical diversity among the ruminants, with 48 bovid genera in Africa, most of Eurasia, and North America and 16 cervid general from mainly North and South America and Eurasia (Hassanin and Douzery, 2003).…”