Molecular classification based on apomorphic amino acids (Arthropoda, Hexapoda): Integrative taxonomy in the era of phylogenomics.
With the great development of sequencing technologies and systematic methods, our understanding of evolutionary relationships at deeper levels within the tree of life has greatly improved over the last decade. However, the current taxonomic methodology is insufficient to describe the growing levels of diversity in both a standardised and general way due to the limitations of using only morphological traits to describe clades. Herein, we propose the idea of a molecular classification based on hierarchical and discrete amino acid characters. Clades are classified based on the results of phylogenetic analyses and described using amino acids with group specificity in phylograms. Practices based on the recently published phylogenomic datasets of insects together with 15 de novo sequenced transcriptomes in this study demonstrate that such a methodology can accommodate various higher ranks of taxonomy. Such an approach has the advantage of describing organisms in a standard and discrete way within a phylogenetic framework, thereby facilitating the recognition of clades from the view of the whole lineage, as indicated by PhyloCode. By combining identification keys and phylogenies, the molecular classification based on hierarchical and discrete characters may greatly boost the progress of integrative taxonomy.
Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Hao-Yang
HY
Wu
Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.|College of Computer and Control Engineering, Nankai University, 38 Tongyan Road, Haihe Education Park, Jinnan District, Tianjin 300350, China.
Yan-Hui
YH
Wang
Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Qiang
Q
Xie
Guangdong Entomological Institute, Guangzhou 510260, China.
Yun-Ling
YL
Ke
Institute of Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Wen-Jun
WJ
Bu
D000818:Animals; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D007313:Insecta / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny
D019476:Insect Proteins