title: The placental mammal ancestor and the post-K-Pg radiation of placentals.
abstract: To discover interordinal relationships of living and fossil placental mammals and the time of origin of placentals relative to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, we scored 4541 phenomic characters de novo for 86 fossil and living species. Combining these data with molecular sequences, we obtained a phylogenetic tree that, when calibrated with fossils, shows that crown clade Placentalia and placental orders originated after the K-Pg boundary. Many nodes discovered using molecular data are upheld, but phenomic signals overturn molecular signals to show Sundatheria (Dermoptera + Scandentia) as the sister taxon of Primates, a close link between Proboscidea (elephants) and Sirenia (sea cows), and the monophyly of echolocating Chiroptera (bats). Our tree suggests that Placentalia first split into Xenarthra and Epitheria; extinct New World species are the oldest members of Afrotheria.
authors: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, HSC T-8 (040), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8081, USA. maureen.oleary@stonybrook.edu
authors: Maureen A
authors: MA
authors: O'Leary
authors: Jonathan I
authors: JI
authors: Bloch
authors: John J
authors: JJ
authors: Flynn
authors: Timothy J
authors: TJ
authors: Gaudin
authors: Andres
authors: A
authors: Giallombardo
authors: Norberto P
authors: NP
authors: Giannini
authors: Suzann L
authors: SL
authors: Goldberg
authors: Brian P
authors: BP
authors: Kraatz
authors: Zhe-Xi
authors: ZX
authors: Luo
authors: Jin
authors: J
authors: Meng
authors: Xijun
authors: X
authors: Ni
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Novacek
authors: Fernando A
authors: FA
authors: Perini
authors: Zachary S
authors: ZS
authors: Randall
authors: Guillermo W
authors: GW
authors: Rougier
authors: Eric J
authors: EJ
authors: Sargis
authors: Mary T
authors: MT
authors: Silcox
authors: Nancy B
authors: NB
authors: Simmons
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Spaulding
authors: Paúl M
authors: PM
authors: Velazco
authors: Marcelo
authors: M
authors: Weksler
authors: John R
authors: JR
authors: Wible
authors: Andrea L
authors: AL
authors: Cirranello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003817:Dentition; D017753:Ecosystem; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils; D008322:Mammals / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D010161:Paleodontology; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D010920:Placenta; D011247:Pregnancy; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013995:Time; D004490:Xenarthra / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics