title: The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment.
abstract: Modern felid species descend from relatively recent (<11 million years ago) divergence and speciation events that produced successful predatory carnivores worldwide but that have confounded taxonomic classifications. A highly resolved molecular phylogeny with divergence dates for all living cat species, derived from autosomal, X-linked, Y-linked, and mitochondrial gene segments (22,789 base pairs) and 16 fossil calibrations define eight principal lineages produced through at least 10 intercontinental migrations facilitated by sea-level fluctuations. A ghost lineage analysis indicates that available felid fossils underestimate (i.e., unrepresented basal branch length) first occurrence by an average of 76%, revealing a low representation of felid lineages in paleontological remains. The phylogenetic performance of distinct gene classes showed that Y-chromosome segments are appreciably more informative than mitochondrial DNA, X-linked, or autosomal genes in resolving the rapid Felidae species radiation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702-1201, USA. johnsonw@ncifcrf.gov
authors.forename: Warren E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eizirik
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pecon-Slattery
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Agostinho
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antunes
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Teeling
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000569:Americas; D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002415:Cats / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D045989:Felidae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D045991:Felis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D005580:Fossils; D005796:Genes; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D046008:Lynx / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D046009:Panthera / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D046011:Puma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D014960:X Chromosome / Q000235:genetics; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004247:DNA