title: Rapid molecular evolution in a living fossil.
abstract: The tuatara of New Zealand is a unique reptile that coexisted with dinosaurs and has changed little morphologically from its Cretaceous relatives. Tuatara have very slow metabolic and growth rates, long generation times and slow rates of reproduction. This suggests that the species is likely to exhibit a very slow rate of molecular evolution. Our analysis of ancient and modern tuatara DNA shows that, surprisingly, tuatara have the highest rate of molecular change recorded in vertebrates. Our work also suggests that rates of neutral molecular and phenotypic evolution are decoupled.
authors.affiliation: Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Institute of Molecular BioSciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.forename: Sankar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: Craig D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Millar
authors.forename: Elmira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mohandesan
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005580:Fossils; D008116:Lizards / Q000235:genetics*; D013997:Time Factors