PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS OF MACAQUES AS INFERRED FROM RESTRICTION-ENDONUCLEASE ANALYSIS OF MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA

Mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) purified from 25 samples of 6 species of macaques, Macaca mulatta, M. fascicularis, M. arctoides, M. nemestrina, M. assamensis and M. thibetana, were analyzed to study the phyletic relationships among the species. A total of 36-46 sites was observed in each sample. By combining the cleavage patterns for each of the endonucleases, the 25 samples were classified into 11 restriction types. When data on M. fuscata and M. cyclopis collected by other authors were added to our own, the resultant molecular phylogenetic trees indicated that the 8 species may be divided into 4 groups: (1) M. mulatta, M. fuscata, M. cyclopis and M. fascicularis; (2) M. arctoides, (3) M. nemestrina; (4) M. assamensis and M. thibetana. Our results suggest that within both the fascicularis and sinica groups genetic distances are small between members and that the status of the species within the groups may require further investigation.

Phylogenetic relationships of five pika species (genus Ochotona) based on mitochondrial DNA restriction maps

Restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with 16 restriction endonucleases was used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of Ochotona cansus, O. huangensis, O. thibetana, O. curzoniae and O. erythrotis. A 1-kb length variation between O. erythrotis of subgenus Pika and other four species of subgenus Ochotona was observed, which may be a useful genetic marker for identifying the two subgenera. The phylogenetic tree constructed using PAUP based on 61 phylogenetically informative sites suggests that O. erythrotis diverged first, followed by O. cansus, while O. curzoniae and O. huangensis are sister taxa related to O. thibetana, The results indicate that both O. cansus and O. huangensis should be treated as independent species. If the base substitution rate of pikas mtDNA was 2% per million years, then the divergence time of the two subgenera, Pika and Ochotana, is about 8.8 Ma ago of late Miocence, middle Bao-dian of Chinese mammalian age, and the divergence of the four species in subgenus Ochotona would have occurred about 2.5 - 4.2 Ma ago, Yushean of Chinese mammalian age. This calculation appears to be substantiated by the fossil record.

Phylogenetic relationships within mammalian order Carnivora indicated by sequences of two nuclear DNA genes

Phylogenetic relationships among 37 living species of order Carnivora spanning a relatively broad range of divergence times and taxonomic levels were examined using nuclear sequence data from exon1 of the IRBP gene (approximate to1.3 kb) and first intron

Phylogenetic relationships of 12 Penaeoidea shrimp species deduced from mitochondrial DNA sequences

DNA sequences of an 847 bp fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and a 514 bp fragment of 16s rRNA gene were determined to examine the phylogenetic relationships of 12 Penaeoidea shrimp species (Penaeus chinensis, Penaeus japon

Phylogenetic relationships of Drosophila melanogaster species group deduced from spacer regions of histone gene H2A-H2B

Nucleotide sequences of the spacer region of the histone gene H2A-H2B from 36 species of Drosophila melanogaster species group were determined. The phylogenetic trees were reconstructed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods by u

Phylogenetic relationships of the macaques (Cercopithecidae : Macaca), inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

To study the phylogenetic relationships of the macaques, five gene fragments were sequenced from 40 individuals of eight species: Macaca mulatta, M. cyclopis, M. fascicularis, M. arctoides, M. assamensis, M. thibetana, M. silenus, and M. leonina. In addition, sequences of M. sylvanus were obtained from Genbank. A baboon was used as the outgroup. The phylogenetic trees were constructed using maximum-parsimony and Bayesian methods. Because five gene fragments were from the mitochondrial genome and were inherited as a single entity without recombination, we combined the five genes into a single analysis. The parsimony bootstrap proportions we obtained were higher than those from earlier studies based on the combined mtDNA dataset. Excluding M. arctoides, our results are generally consistent with the classification of Delson (1980). Our phylogenetic analyses agree with earlier studies suggesting that the mitochondrial lineages of M. arctoides share a close evolutionary relationship with the mitochondrial lineages of the fascicularis group of macaques (and M. fascicularis, specifically). M. mulatta (with respect to M. cyclopis), M. assamensis assamensis (with respect to M. thibetana), and M. leonina (with respect to M. silenus) are paraphyletic based on our analysis of mitochondrial genes.

Phylogeny and biogeography of the Petaurista philippensis complex (Rodentia : Sciuridae), inter- and intraspecific relationships inferred from molecular and morphometric analysis

With modified DNA extraction and Purification protocols, the complete cytochrome b gene sequences (1140 bp) were determined from degraded museum specimens. Molecular analysis and morphological examination of cranial characteristics of the giant flying squirrels of Petaurista philippensis complex (P. grandis, P. hainana, and P. yunanensis) and other Petaurista species yielded new insights into long-standing controversies in the Petaurista systematics. Patterns of genetic variations and morphological differences observed in this study indicate that P. hainana, P. albiventer, and P. yunanensis can be recognized as distinct species, and P. grandis and P. petaurista are conspecific populations. Phylogenetic relationships reconstructed by using parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian methods reveal that, with P. leucogenys as the basal branch, all Petaurista groups formed two distinct clades. Petaurista philippensis, P. hainana, P. yunanensis, and P. albiventer are clustered in the same clade, while P. grandis shows a close relationship to P. petaurista. Deduced divergence times based on Bayesian analysis and the transversional substitution at the third codon suggest that the retreating of glaciers and upheavals or movements of tectonic plates in the Pliocene-Pleistocene were the major factors responsible for the present geographical distributions of Petaurista groups. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phylogenetic relationships of the Chinese brown frogs (Genus rana) inferred from partial mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA gene sequences

Based on partial sequences of the 12S and 16S ribosomal RNA genes, we estimated phylogenetic relationships among brown frogs of the Rana temporaria group from China. From the phylogenetic trees obtained, we propose to include Rana zhengi in the brown frog

Ribosomal DNA gene and phylogenetic relationships of Diplura and lower Hexapods

The monophyly of Diplura and its phylogenetic relationship with other hexapods are important for understanding the phylogeny of Hexapoda. The complete 18SrRNA gene and partial 28SrRNA gene (D3-D5 region) from 2 dipluran species (Campodeidae and Japygidae), 2 proturan species, 3 collembolan species, and 1 locust species were sequenced. Combining related sequences in GenBank, phylogenetic trees of Hexapoda were constructed by MP method using a crustacean Artemia salina as an outgroup. The results indicated that: (i) the integrated data of 18SrDNA and 28SrDNA could provide better phylogenetic information, which well supported the monophyly of Diplura; (ii) Diplura had a close phylogenetic relationship to Protura with high bootstrap support.

Phylogenetic relationships in genus Niviventer (Rodentia : Muridae) in China inferred from complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene

Chinese species of the genus Niviventer, predominantly distributed in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau and in Taiwan, are a diverse group and have not yet received a thorough molecular phylogenetic analysis. Here, we reconstructed the phylogenetic relatio

Relationships between secchi disk visibility, water temperature and dissolved oxygen in freshwater fishpond

A study was conducted to determine the relationships between secchi disk variability, water temperature and dissolved oxygen in fish ponds. Multiple regression correlation analysis was done to evaluate the relationships between the variables. Results indicated that the ranges of secchi disk visibility, water temperature and dissolved oxygen in the study ponds were just within the ranges of the variables for tilapia culture. Multiple regression correlation showed no (or insignificant) relationships with dissolved oxygen and water temperature, dissolved oxygen with secchi disk visibility and water temperature with secchi disk visibility.

Study morphologic, phylogenic relationships DNA barcoding of of identified decapod group (Crustacean) of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea.

Phylogenetic relationships among all described species (total of 12 taxa) of the decapoda, were examined with nucleotide sequence data from portions of mitochondrial gene and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). The previous works on phylogeny proved that the mitochondrial COI gene in crustacean is a good discriminative marker at both inter- and intra-specific levels. We provide COI barcode sequences of commertial decapoda of Oman Sea, Persian Gulf, Iran. Industrial activities, ecologic considerations, and goals of the decapoda Barcode of Life campaign make it crucial that species of the south costal be identified. The reconstruction of evolut phylogeny of these species are crucial for revealing stock identity that can be used for the management of fisheries industries in Iran. Mitochondrial DNA sequences were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of the Penaeus species of marine shrimp. For this purpose, DNA was extracted using phenol- chloroform well as CTAB method. The evolutionary relationships among 12 species of the decapoda were examined using 610 bp of mitochondrial (mt) DNA from the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Finally the cladograms were compared and the resulted phylogenetic trees confirmed that the Iran's species origin is Indo-west pacific species. Iran's species, which were not grouped with the other decapoda taxa seem to always form a sister clade with Indo-west pacific species with strong bootstrap support 100%. The result completely agrees with the previously defined species using morphological characters.However, we still lack any comprehensive and clear understanding of phylogenetic relationships in this group.

Learning large-scale spatial relationships in a maze and effects of MK-801 on retrieval in the rhesus monkey

Monkeys have strong abilities to remember the visual properties of potential food sources for survival in the nature. The present study demonstrated the first observations of rhesus monkeys learning to solve complex spatial mazes in which routes were guid

Morphometric relationships of spineless cuttlefish, Sepiella inermis (Orbigny, 1848) from Mumbai waters

The relationships of various morphometric characters with dorsal mantle length (DML) of Sepiella inermis from Mumbai waters was established. The coefficient of correlation (r²) for various morphometric characters against dorsal mantle length ranged from 0.747 to 0.942 indicating high degree of relationship among the characters compared. The regression of characteristics obtained by least squares method for S. inermis indicates that the characters have positive allometric growth.