Nuclear markers reveal that inter-lake cichlids' similar morphologies do not reflect similar genealogy

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
Daud KassamKosaku Yamaoka

Abstract

The apparent inter-lake morphological similarity among East African Great Lakes' cichlid species/genera has left evolutionary biologists asking whether such similarity is due to sharing of common ancestor or mere convergent evolution. In order to answer such question, we first used Geometric Morphometrics, GM, to quantify morphological similarity and then subsequently used Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism, AFLP, to determine if similar morphologies imply shared ancestry or convergent evolution. GM revealed that not all presumed morphological similar pairs were indeed similar, and the dendrogram generated from AFLP data indicated distinct clusters corresponding to each lake and not inter-lake morphological similar pairs. Such results imply that the morphological similarity is due to convergent evolution and not shared ancestry. The congruency of GM and AFLP generated dendrograms imply that GM is capable of picking up phylogenetic signal, and thus GM can be potential tool in phylogenetic systematics.

References

Oct 1, 1979·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·M Nei, W H Li

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Citations

Oct 1, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Fabrice DuponchelleGeorge F Turner
Jun 28, 2008·Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution·Stephan KoblmüllerChristian Sturmbauer
Mar 27, 2007·Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution·Philippe BorsaDidier Aurelle

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