title: Phylogenetic relationships and divergence times among mustelids (Mammalia: Carnivora) based on nucleotide sequences of the nuclear interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein and mitochondrial cytochrome b genes.
abstract: Phylogenetic relationships among 20 species-group taxa of Mustelidae, representing Mustelinae (Mustela, Martes, Gulo), Lutrinae (Enhydra), and Melinae (Meles), were examined using nucleotide sequences of the nuclear interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein (IRBP) and mitochondrial cytochrome b genes. Neighbor-joining and maximum-parsimony phylogenetic analyses on these genes separately and combined were conducted. While IRBP performed better than cytochrome b in recovering more-inclusive clades, cytochrome b demonstrated more resolving power in recovering less-inclusive clades. Strong support was found for a close affinity of Enhydra with Mustela to the exclusion of Martes and Gulo (causing Mustelinae to be paraphyletic); the most-basal position of Mustela vison within Mustela, followed by Mustela erminea; an association of Mustela lutreola, Mustela itatsi, Mustela sibirica, and the subgenus Putorius (including Mustela putorius and Mustela eversmanii), to the exclusion of Mustela nivalis and Mustela altaica; and a basal position of Mustela itatsi to a clade containing Mustela sibirica and Putorius. Whereas cytochrome b strongly supported Mustela lutreola as the sister species to Putorius, IRBP strongly supported its basal placement to the Mustela itatsi-Mustela sibirica-Putorius clade. The low level of sequence divergence in cytochrome b between Mustela lutreola and Putorius is therefore a result of interspecific mitochondrial introgression between these taxa, rather than a recent origin of Mustela lutreola in a close relationship to Putorius. Time estimates inferred from IRBP and cytochrome b for mustelid divergence events are mostly in agreement with the fossil record.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ecology and Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Tetsuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosoda
authors.forename: Mieczysław
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolsan
authors.forename: Kimiyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002335:Carnivora / Q000235:genetics*; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D010802:Phylogeny; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012177:Retinol-Binding Proteins