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Tejada JV, Antoine PO, Münch P, Billet G, Hautier L, Delsuc F, Condamine FL. Bayesian Total-Evidence Dating Revisits Sloth Phylogeny and Biogeography: A Cautionary Tale on Morphological Clock Analyses. Syst Biol 2024; 73:125-139. [PMID: 38041854 PMCID: PMC11129595 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syad069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Combining morphological and molecular characters through Bayesian total-evidence dating allows inferring the phylogenetic and timescale framework of both extant and fossil taxa, while accounting for the stochasticity and incompleteness of the fossil record. Such an integrative approach is particularly needed when dealing with clades such as sloths (Mammalia: Folivora), for which developmental and biomechanical studies have shown high levels of morphological convergence whereas molecular data can only account for a limited percentage of their total species richness. Here, we propose an alternative hypothesis of sloth evolution that emphasizes the pervasiveness of morphological convergence and the importance of considering the fossil record and an adequate taxon sampling in both phylogenetic and biogeographic inferences. Regardless of different clock models and morphological datasets, the extant sloth Bradypus is consistently recovered as a megatherioid, and Choloepus as a mylodontoid, in agreement with molecular-only analyses. The recently extinct Caribbean sloths (Megalocnoidea) are found to be a monophyletic sister-clade of Megatherioidea, in contrast to previous phylogenetic hypotheses. Our results contradict previous morphological analyses and further support the polyphyly of "Megalonychidae," whose members were found in five different clades. Regardless of taxon sampling and clock models, the Caribbean colonization of sloths is compatible with the exhumation of islands along Aves Ridge and its geological time frame. Overall, our total-evidence analysis illustrates the difficulty of positioning highly incomplete fossils, although a robust phylogenetic framework was recovered by an a posteriori removal of taxa with high percentages of missing characters. Elimination of these taxa improved topological resolution by reducing polytomies and increasing node support. However, it introduced a systematic and geographic bias because most of these incomplete specimens are from northern South America. This is evident in biogeographic reconstructions, which suggest Patagonia as the area of origin of many clades when taxa are underrepresented, but Amazonia and/or Central and Southern Andes when all taxa are included. More generally, our analyses demonstrate the instability of topology and divergence time estimates when using different morphological datasets and clock models and thus caution against making macroevolutionary inferences when node support is weak or when uncertainties in the fossil record are not considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia V Tejada
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Pierre-Olivier Antoine
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Philippe Münch
- Géosciences Montpellier, UMR 5243, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Université des Antilles, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Guillaume Billet
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie—Paris, CR2P—UMR 7207, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 8 rue Buffon 75005, Paris
| | - Lionel Hautier
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Frédéric Delsuc
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Fabien L Condamine
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier, UMR 5554, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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Lian L, Peng HW, Erst AS, Ortiz RDC, Jabbour F, Chen ZD, Wang W. Bayesian tip-dated phylogeny and biogeography of Cissampelideae (Menispermaceae): Mitigating the effects of homoplastic morphological characters. Cladistics 2024. [PMID: 38469932 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The integration of morphological and molecular data is essential to understand the affinities of fossil taxa and spatio-temporal evolutionary processes of organisms. However, homoplastic morphological characters can mislead the placement of fossil taxa and impact downstream analyses. Here, we provide an example of how to mitigate effectively the effect of morphological homoplasy on the placement of fossil taxa and biogeographic inferences of Cissampelideae. We assembled three data types, morphological data only, morphological data with a molecular scaffold and combined morphological and molecular data. By removing high-level homoplastic morphological data or reweighting the morphological characters, we conducted 15 parsimony, 12 undated Bayesian and four dated Bayesian analyses. Our results show that the 14 selected Cissampelideae fossil taxa are placed poorly when based only on morphological data, but the addition of molecular scaffold and combination of morphological and molecular data greatly improve the resolution of fossil nodes. We raise the monotypic Stephania subg. Botryodiscia to generic status and discover that three fossils previously assigned to Stephania should be members of Diploclisia. The Bayesian tip-dated tree recovered by removing homoplastic morphological characters with a Rescaled Consistency Index <0.25 has the highest stratigraphic fit and consequently generates more reasonable biogeographic reconstruction for Cissampelideae. Cissampelideae began to diversify in Asia in the latest Cretaceous and subsequently dispersed to South America around the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary. Two dispersal events from Asia to Africa occurred in the Early Eocene and the Late Eocene-Late Oligocene, respectively. These findings provide guidelines and practical methods for mitigating the effects of homoplastic morphological characters on fossil placements and Bayesian tip-dating, as well as insights into the past tropical floristic exchanges among different continents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lian Lian
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Prominent Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Huan-Wen Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Prominent Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Andrey S Erst
- Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Zolotodolinskaya str. 101, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
| | - Rosa Del C Ortiz
- Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, St Louis, Missouri, 63110, USA
| | - Florian Jabbour
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université des Antilles, EPHE, 57 rue Cuvier, CP39, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Zhi-Duan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Prominent Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Prominent Crops, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- China National Botanical Garden, Beijing, 100093, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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Alfieri F, Botton-Divet L, Wölfer J, Nyakatura JA, Amson E. A macroevolutionary common-garden experiment reveals differentially evolvable bone organization levels in slow arboreal mammals. Commun Biol 2023; 6:995. [PMID: 37770611 PMCID: PMC10539518 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05371-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Eco-morphological convergence, i.e., similar phenotypes evolved in ecologically convergent taxa, naturally reproduces a common-garden experiment since it allows researchers to keep ecological factors constant, studying intrinsic evolutionary drivers. The latter may result in differential evolvability that, among individual anatomical parts, causes mosaic evolution. Reconstructing the evolutionary morphology of the humerus and femur of slow arboreal mammals, we addressed mosaicism at different bone anatomical spatial scales. We compared convergence strength, using it as indicator of evolvability, between bone external shape and inner structure, with the former expected to be less evolvable and less involved in convergent evolution, due to anatomical constraints. We identify several convergent inner structural traits, while external shape only loosely follows this trend, and we find confirmation for our assumption in measures of convergence magnitude. We suggest that future macroevolutionary reconstructions based on bone morphology should include structural traits to better detect ecological effects on vertebrate diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Alfieri
- Comparative Zoology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
- Museum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Léo Botton-Divet
- Comparative Zoology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Wölfer
- Comparative Zoology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - John A Nyakatura
- Comparative Zoology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eli Amson
- Paleontology Department, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1-3, 70191, Stuttgart, Germany
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Carlisle E, Janis CM, Pisani D, Donoghue PCJ, Silvestro D. A timescale for placental mammal diversification based on Bayesian modeling of the fossil record. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3073-3082.e3. [PMID: 37379845 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The timing of the placental mammal radiation has been the focus of debate over the efficacy of competing methods for establishing evolutionary timescales. Molecular clock analyses estimate that placental mammals originated before the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction, anywhere from the Late Cretaceous to the Jurassic. However, the absence of definitive fossils of placentals before the K-Pg boundary is compatible with a post-Cretaceous origin. Nevertheless, lineage divergence must occur before it can be manifest phenotypically in descendent lineages. This, combined with the non-uniformity of the rock and fossil records, requires the fossil record to be interpreted rather than read literally. To achieve this, we introduce an extended Bayesian Brownian bridge model that estimates the age of origination and, where applicable, extinction through a probabilistic interpretation of the fossil record. The model estimates the origination of placentals in the Late Cretaceous, with ordinal crown groups originating at or after the K-Pg boundary. The results reduce the plausible interval for placental mammal origination to the younger range of molecular clock estimates. Our findings support both the Long Fuse and Soft Explosive models of placental mammal diversification, indicating that the placentals originated shortly prior to the K-Pg mass extinction. The origination of many modern mammal lineages overlapped with and followed the K-Pg mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Carlisle
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - Christine M Janis
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Davide Pisani
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Philip C J Donoghue
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
| | - Daniele Silvestro
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 413 19 Gothenburg, Sweden; Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, 413 19 Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Gaudin TJ, Scaife T. Cranial osteology of a juvenile specimen of Acratocnus ye (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Folivora) and its ontogenetic and phylogenetic implications. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:607-637. [PMID: 36054593 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The present study comprises a description of the skull and jaw anatomy of a juvenile specimen of the Antillean sloth Acratocnus ye, from the Holocene of Haiti. Detailed descriptions and illustrations are provided of the skull bones and their sutural connections, which normally fuse in adults. Descriptions are also provided for the mandible and ear ossicles, as well as endocranial surfaces and sinuses exposed by breaks. The anatomy of our juvenile A. ye is compared to that of adult A. ye to assess ontogenetic changes in the skull. Several of these ontogenetic features are significant new observations that impact the relationships within Xenarthra as a whole, or between Xenarthrans and other placental mammals, most notably, the presence of a separate mesethmoid element, the presence of alveoli for a lower deciduous canine and anterior incisor, and the presence of separate rostral and caudal entotympanic elements. A full list of such changes are provided. In addition, the specimen provides information on phylogenetically relevant characters, including features unique to the genus Acratocnus, and features of the clade Choloepodini, including Acratocnus, the smaller extinct Antillean sloth Neocnus, and the extant two-toed sloth Choloepus. Contrary to previous studies, Acratocnus shares as many features with Choloepus as it does with its fellow Antillean form Neocnus in the present study, which is consistent with current morphology-based phylogenetic hypotheses regarding the relationships within Choloepodini. The current study highlights the need for further anatomical and phylogenetic investigations of Antillean sloths (Megalocnidae/Megalonychidae), and juvenile sloths in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Gaudin
- Department of Biology, Geology & Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
| | - Thomas Scaife
- Department of Geosciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
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Miranda FR, Garbino GST, Machado FA, Perini FA, Santos FR, Casali DM. Taxonomic revision of maned sloths, subgenus Bradypus ( Scaeopus), Pilosa, Bradypodidae, with revalidation of Bradypus crinitus Gray, 1850. J Mammal 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
We present a taxonomic revision of maned sloths, subgenus Bradypus (Scaeopus), a taxon endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and currently composed of a single species, the vulnerable Bradypus torquatus. Our review is based on coalescent species delimitation analyses using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, morphological analyses, and field observations. Our integrative approach demonstrates that two species of maned sloth can be recognized: the northern maned sloth (Bradypus torquatusIlliger, 1811) occurring in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Sergipe, and the southern maned sloth (Bradypus crinitusGray, 1850), occurring in Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo states. The two species diverged in the Early Pliocene and are allopatrically distributed. We discuss the biogeographic pattern of the two maned sloth species, comparing it with other Atlantic Forest mammals. We also suggest that the conservation status of both maned sloths needs to be reassessed after this taxonomic rearrangement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia R Miranda
- Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Campus Soane Nazaré de Andrade , Rod. Jorge Amado, Km 16 - Salobrinho, 45662-900 Ilhéus, Bahia, 64200-240 , Brazil
- Instituto de Pesquisa e Conservação de Tamanduás no Brasil , Rua do Comercio, s/n, Sala 130 Conjunto Porto das Barcas, Parnaíba, Piauí, 64200-240 , Brazil
| | - Guilherme S T Garbino
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV), Museu de Zoologia João Moojen, Departamento de Biologia Animal , Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário, 36570-900 Viçosa, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Fabio A Machado
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech , 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061 , USA
| | - Fernando A Perini
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Laboratório de Evolução de Mamíferos , Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Fabricio R Santos
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Laboratório de Biodiversidade e Evolução Molecular , Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais , Brazil
| | - Daniel M Casali
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Laboratório de Evolução de Mamíferos , Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais , Brazil
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Baleka S, Varela L, Tambusso PS, Paijmans JL, Mothé D, Stafford TW, Fariña RA, Hofreiter M. Revisiting proboscidean phylogeny and evolution through total evidence and palaeogenetic analyses including Notiomastodon ancient DNA. iScience 2022; 25:103559. [PMID: 34988402 PMCID: PMC8693454 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The extinct Gomphotheriidae is the only proboscidean family that colonized South America. The phylogenetic position of the endemic taxa has been through several revisions using morphological comparisons. Morphological studies are enhanced by paleogenetic analyses, a powerful tool to resolve phylogenetic relationships; however, ancient DNA (aDNA) preservation decreases in warmer regions. Despite the poor preservation conditions for aDNA in humid, sub-tropical climates, we recovered ∼3,000 bp of mtDNA of Notiomastodon platensis from the Arroyo del Vizcaíno site, Uruguay. Our calibrated phylogeny places Notiomastodon as a sister taxon to Elephantidae, with a divergence time of ∼13.5 Ma. Additionally, a total evidence analysis combining morphological and paleogenetic data shows that the three most diverse clades within Proboscidea diverged during the early Miocene, coinciding with the formation of a land passage between Africa and Eurasia. Our results are a further step toward aDNA analyses on Pleistocene samples from subtropical regions and provide a framework for proboscidean evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Baleka
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Sæmundargata 2, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Luciano Varela
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Servicio Académico Universitario y Centro de Estudios Paleontológicos (SAUCE-P), Universidad de la República, Santa Isabel s/n, 91500 Sauce, Departamento de Canelones, Uruguay
| | - P. Sebastián Tambusso
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Servicio Académico Universitario y Centro de Estudios Paleontológicos (SAUCE-P), Universidad de la República, Santa Isabel s/n, 91500 Sauce, Departamento de Canelones, Uruguay
| | - Johanna L.A. Paijmans
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Dimila Mothé
- Laboratório de Mastozoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Pasteur, 458/501, 22290-240 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Instituto de Biologia, Campus Ilha do Fundão, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Richard A. Fariña
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400 Montevideo, Uruguay
- Servicio Académico Universitario y Centro de Estudios Paleontológicos (SAUCE-P), Universidad de la República, Santa Isabel s/n, 91500 Sauce, Departamento de Canelones, Uruguay
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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Integrative Approach Uncovers New Patterns of Ecomorphological Convergence in Slow Arboreal Xenarthrans. J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09590-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIdentifying ecomorphological convergence examples is a central focus in evolutionary biology. In xenarthrans, slow arboreality independently arose at least three times, in the two genera of ‘tree sloths’, Bradypus and Choloepus, and the silky anteater, Cyclopes. This specialized locomotor ecology is expectedly reflected by distinctive morpho-functional convergences. Cyclopes, although sharing several ecological features with ‘tree sloths’, do not fully mirror the latter in their outstandingly similar suspensory slow arboreal locomotion. We hypothesized that the morphology of Cyclopes is closer to ‘tree sloths’ than to anteaters, but yet distinct, entailing that slow arboreal xenarthrans evolved through ‘incomplete’ convergence. In a multivariate trait space, slow arboreal xenarthrans are hence expected to depart from their sister taxa evolving toward the same area, but not showing extensive phenotypical overlap, due to the distinct position of Cyclopes. Conversely, a pattern of ‘complete’ convergence (i.e., widely overlapping morphologies) is hypothesized for ‘tree sloths’. Through phylogenetic comparative methods, we quantified humeral and femoral convergence in slow arboreal xenarthrans, including a sample of extant and extinct non-slow arboreal xenarthrans. Through 3D geometric morphometrics, cross-sectional properties (CSP) and trabecular architecture, we integratively quantified external shape, diaphyseal anatomy and internal epiphyseal structure. Several traits converged in slow arboreal xenarthrans, especially those pertaining to CSP. Phylomorphospaces and quantitative convergence analyses substantiated the expected patterns of ‘incomplete’ and ‘complete’ convergence for slow arboreal xenarthrans and ‘tree sloths’, respectively. This work, highlighting previously unidentified convergence patterns, emphasizes the value of an integrative multi-pronged quantitative approach to cope with complex mechanisms underlying ecomorphological convergence.
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Gavazzi LM, Kjosness KM, Reno PL. Ossification pattern of the unusual pisiform in two-toed (Choloepus) and three-toed sloths (Bradypus). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 305:1804-1819. [PMID: 34779120 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Two-toed (Choloepus sp.) and three-toed (Bradypus sp.) sloths possess short, rounded pisiforms that are rare among mammals and differ from other members of Xenarthra like the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) which retain elongated, rod-like pisiforms in common with most mammals. Using photographs, radiographs, and μCT, we assessed ossification patterns in the pisiform and the paralogous tarsal, the calcaneus, for two-toed sloths, three-toed sloths, and giant anteaters to determine the process by which pisiform reduction occurs in sloths and compare it to other previously studied examples of pisiform reduction in humans and orangutans. Both extant sloth genera achieve pisiform reduction through the loss of a secondary ossification center and the likely disruption of the associated growth plate based on an unusually porous subchondral surface. This represents a third unique mechanism of pisiform reduction among mammals, along with primary ossification center loss in humans and retention of two ossification centers with likely reduced growth periods in orangutans. Given the remarkable similarities between two-toed and three-toed sloth pisiform ossification patterns and the presence of pisiform reduction in fossil sloths, extant sloth pisiform morphology does not appear to represent a recent convergent adaptation to suspensory locomotion, but instead is likely to be an ancestral trait of Folivora that emerged early in the radiation of extant and fossil sloths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia M Gavazzi
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.,Musculoskeletal Research Group, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio, USA
| | - Kelsey M Kjosness
- Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Philip L Reno
- Department of Bio-Medical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Yin ZW, Lü L, Yamamoto S, Thayer MK, Newton AF, Cai CY. Dasycerine rove beetles: Cretaceous diversification, phylogeny and historical biogeography (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Dasycerinae). Cladistics 2021; 37:185-210. [PMID: 34478187 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the hyperdiverse beetle family Staphylinidae, Dasycerinae is one of the smallest and most cryptic subfamilies, comprising a sole extant genus characterized by a latridiid beetle-like body form. Little has been known about their early diversification, character evolution, phylogeny and historical biogeography because of limited fossil material and lack of a phylogeny integrating extant and extinct representatives. Here we report an unexpectedly diverse dasycerine fauna from the mid-Cretaceous of northern Myanmar, including a new genus and four new species. To reconstruct the early evolutionary history of Dasycerinae, we present a phylogenetic framework of the subfamily based on a dataset integrating all extant and extinct taxa using parsimony, maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods. †Cedasyrus gen. n., characterized by distinct sexual dimorphism in antennal and elytral lengths, is recovered as the basal-most lineage, sister to the remaining two extinct genera and all living Dasycerus species. †Vetudasycerus is recovered as sister to †Protodasycerus + Dasycerus. Among all extinct taxa, †Protodasycerus bears distinctly longer elytra, and appears to represent a transitional form from †Vetudasycerus to Dasycerus. Phylogenetic inferences and ancestral distribution reconstruction support an "Out-of-Orient" model for Dasycerinae. Either the Bering- or North Atlantic Land Bridge may have served as a passageway for dasycerine dispersal between Eurasian and North American continents. An elevation-reconstruction analysis indicated that the ancestor of the extant Dasycerus probably lived at a high altitude and stayed at this elevation through the end of the Miocene. We propose that the extinction of dasycerine ancestors living on the Tethyan islands at low altitude was likely caused by sea-level rise and climatic warming during the Late Cretaceous. The high-altitude areas might have played the role of refugia that harboured subalpine derivatives which eventually gave rise to the extant Dasycerus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Wei Yin
- Laboratory of Systematic Entomology, College of Life Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, China
| | - Liang Lü
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, 050024, China
| | - Shûhei Yamamoto
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, 7, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Margaret K Thayer
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, 7, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Alfred F Newton
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, 7, Chicago, IL, 60605, USA
| | - Chen-Yang Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.,School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol,, BS8 1TQ, UK
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12
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López-Antoñanzas R, Peláez-Campomanes P. Bayesian Morphological Clock versus Parsimony: An insight into the relationships and dispersal events of postvacuum Cricetidae (Rodentia, Mammalia). Syst Biol 2021; 71:512-525. [PMID: 34297129 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syab059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishing an evolutionary timeline is fundamental for tackling a great variety of topics in evolutionary biology, including the reconstruction of patterns of historical biogeography, coevolution and diversification. However, the tree of life is pruned by extinction and molecular data cannot be gathered for extinct lineages. Until recently methodological challenges have prevented the application of tip-dating Bayesian approaches in morphology-based fossil-only datasets. Herein, we present a morphological dataset for a group of cricetid rodents to which we apply an array of methods fairly new in palaeontology that can be used by palaeontologists for the analysis of entirely extinct clades. We compare the tree topologies obtained by traditional parsimony, time-calibrated and non-calibrated Bayesian inference phylogenetic approaches and calculate stratigraphic congruence indices for each. Bayesian tip-dated clock methods outperform parsimony in the case of our dataset, which includes highly homoplastic morphological characters. Regardless, all three topologies support the monophyly of Megacricetodontinae, Democricetodontinae and Cricetodontinae. Dispersal and speciation events inferred through Bayesian Binary Markov chain Monte Carlo and biodiversity analyses provide evidence for a correlation between biogeographic events, climatic changes and diversification in cricetids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel López-Antoñanzas
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM/IRD/EPHE), Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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13
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Santaquiteria A, Siqueira AC, Duarte-Ribeiro E, Carnevale G, White W, Pogonoski J, Baldwin CC, Ortí G, Arcila D, Betancur RR. Phylogenomics and Historical Biogeography of Seahorses, Dragonets, Goatfishes, and Allies (Teleostei: Syngnatharia): Assessing Factors Driving Uncertainty in Biogeographic Inferences. Syst Biol 2021; 70:1145-1162. [PMID: 33892493 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syab028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The charismatic trumpetfishes, goatfishes, dragonets, flying gurnards, seahorses, and pipefishes encompass a recently defined yet extraordinarily diverse clade of percomorph fishes-the series Syngnatharia. This group is widely distributed in tropical and warm-temperate regions, with a great proportion of its extant diversity occurring in the Indo-Pacific. Because most syngnatharians feature long-range dispersal capabilities, tracing their biogeographic origins is challenging. Here, we applied an integrative phylogenomic approach to elucidate the evolutionary biogeography of syngnatharians. We built upon a recently published phylogenomic study that examined ultraconserved elements by adding 62 species (total 169 species) and one family (Draconettidae), to cover ca. 25% of the species diversity and all 10 families in the group. We inferred a set of time-calibrated trees and conducted ancestral range estimations. We also examined the sensitivity of these analyses to phylogenetic uncertainty (estimated from multiple genomic subsets), area delimitation, and biogeographic models that include or exclude the jump-dispersal parameter (j). Of the three factors examined, we found that the j parameter has the strongest effect in ancestral range estimates, followed by number of areas defined, and tree topology and divergence times. After accounting for these uncertainties, our results reveal that syngnatharians originated in the ancient Tethys Sea ca. 87 Ma (84-94 Ma; Late Cretaceous) and subsequently occupied the Indo-Pacific. Throughout syngnatharian history, multiple independent lineages colonized the eastern Pacific (6-8 times) and the Atlantic (6-14 times) from their center of origin, with most events taking place following an east-to-west route prior to the closure of the Tethys Seaway ca. 12-18 Ma. Ultimately, our study highlights the importance of accounting for different factors generating uncertainty in macroevolutionary and biogeographic inferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aintzane Santaquiteria
- Department of Biology, The University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Alexandre C Siqueira
- Research Hub for Coral Reef Ecosystem Functions, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Emanuell Duarte-Ribeiro
- Department of Biology, The University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Giorgio Carnevale
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - William White
- CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, National Research Collections of Australia, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - John Pogonoski
- CSIRO Australian National Fish Collection, National Research Collections of Australia, Hobart, TAS, Australia
| | - Carole C Baldwin
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Guillermo Ortí
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, 2029 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Dahiana Arcila
- Department of Biology, The University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA.,Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave, Norman, OK 73072, USA
| | - Ricardo R Betancur
- Department of Biology, The University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
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14
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Alfieri F, Nyakatura JA, Amson E. Evolution of bone cortical compactness in slow arboreal mammals. Evolution 2020; 75:542-554. [PMID: 33314086 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Convergent evolution is a major topic in evolutionary biology. Low bone cortical compactness (CC, a measure of porosity of cortical bone) in the extant genera of "tree sloths," has been linked to their convergent slow arboreal ecology. This proposed relationship of low CC with a slow arboreal lifestyle suggests potential convergent evolution of this trait in other slow arboreal mammals. Femoral and humeral CC were analyzed in "tree sloths," lorisids, koala, and extinct palaeopropithecids and Megaladapis, in comparison to closely related but ecologically distinct taxa, in a phylogenetic framework. Low CC in "tree sloths" is unparalleled by any analyzed clade and the high CC in extinct sloths suggests the recent convergence of low CC in "tree sloths." A tendency for low CC was found in Palaeopropithecus and Megaladapis. However, lorisids and the koala yielded unexpected CC patterns, preventing the recognition of a straightforward convergence of low CC in slow arboreal mammals. This study uncovers a complex relationship between CC and convergent evolution of slow arboreality, highlighting the multifactorial specificity of bone microstructure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Alfieri
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany
| | - John A Nyakatura
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eli Amson
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany
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15
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Flores JR. Taxon incompleteness and discrete time bins affect character change rates in simulated data. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200418. [PMID: 33171076 PMCID: PMC7728684 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimating how fast or slow morphology evolves through time (phenotypic change rate, PR) has become common in macroevolutionary studies and has been important for clarifying key evolutionary events. However, the inclusion of incompletely scored taxa (e.g. fossils) and variable lengths of discrete arbitrary time bins could affect PR estimates and potentially mask real PR patterns. Here, the impact of taxon incompleteness (unscored data) on PR estimates is assessed in simulated data. Three different time bin series were likewise evaluated: bins evenly spanning the tree length (i), a shorter middle bin and longer first and third bins (ii), and a longer middle bin and shorter first and third bins (iii). The results indicate that PR values decrease as taxon incompleteness increases. Statistically significant PR values, and the dispersion among PR values, depended on the time bins. These outcomes imply that taxon incompleteness can undermine our capacity to infer morphology evolutionary dynamics and that these estimates are also influenced by our choice of discrete time bins. More importantly, the present results stress the need for a better approach to deal with taxon incompleteness and arbitrary discrete time bins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge R. Flores
- Finnish Museum of Natural History (Botany), University of Helsinki, PO Box 7, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
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16
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Gregariousness in the giant sloth Lestodon (Xenarthra): multi-proxy approach of a bonebed from the Last Maximum Glacial of Argentine Pampas. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10955. [PMID: 32616813 PMCID: PMC7331707 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67863-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Megamammals constituted an important component in the Pleistocene faunal communities of South America. Paleobiological and paleoecological studies involving different megamammal taxa have increased significantly in the last years, but there are still several poorly-known issues of its life history. In this work, we analyze an assemblage composed of 13 individuals of different ontogenetic stages, and possibly different sex, belonging to the giant ground sloth Lestodon armatus (Xenarthra, Folivora), recovered from Playa del Barco site (Pampean Region, Argentina). A dating of 19,849 years Cal BP allows assigning this assemblage to a period of the MIS (Marine Isotope Stage) 2 related to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Based on multiple lines of research (e.g. taphonomy, paleopathology, osteohistology, isotopy), we interpret the origin of the assemblage and diverse paleobiological and paleoecological aspects (e.g. social behavior, ontogenetic changes, sexual dimorphism, diseases, resource and habitat use, trophic relationships) of L. armatus. Evidence suggests that the assemblage was formed by a local single event of catastrophic mortality, which affected different members of a social group. This record represents the first accurate evidence of gregariousness for this ground sloth, providing new data on a poorly-known behavior among extinct Folivora.
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17
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Harper CM, Sylvester AD, McAfee RK, Cooke SB. A novel method for quantifying femoral neck anteversion: A case study in extinct and extant sloths. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 304:266-278. [PMID: 32378312 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Extinct sloths represent a wide range of morphological, locomotor, and body size variation. Researchers have examined femoral neck angle in two dimensions to hypothesize locomotor behaviors in this group; however, this measure does not account for femoral neck anteversion. Here, we present a new method for quantifying femoral neck anteversion angle, in addition to femoral neck angle, to capture the 3D position of the femoral head/neck. Femora of extant (n = 21; Bradypus and Choloepus) and extinct (n = 49; Acratocnus, Megalocnus, Neocnus, and Parocnus) sloths were surface scanned and their surface models used to calculate three angles of femoral neck anteversion and femoral neck angle. Femoral neck anteversion was calculated as the angle between the femoral neck axis and the geometric axis of the femoral condyles (GA), the 35% cross section axis, and a trochanter axis. Femoral neck angle was calculated as the angle between the femoral neck and shaft axes. Genera were compared using ANOVAs with post hoc multiple comparisons for each angle. Femoral neck angle and femoral neck anteversion relative to the cross section were also analyzed. Significant differences among genera exist for all angles, (p < .001) but not all angles separate all genera. Femoral neck and anteversion angles typically yield different results, demonstrating the utility of analyzing both angles. The GA and cross section angles are highly correlated in sloths, with the exception of comparisons among Megalocnus, Parocnus, and Neocnus, suggesting morphological variation in the distal femur. While this method was applied to sloths, it has broad applicability to mammalian groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Harper
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Adam D Sylvester
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Robert K McAfee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Georgia Campus, Suwanee, Georgia, USA
| | - Siobhán B Cooke
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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18
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Serio C, Raia P, Meloro C. Locomotory Adaptations in 3D Humerus Geometry of Xenarthra: Testing for Convergence. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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19
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Boscaini A, Pujos F, Gaudin TJ. A reappraisal of the phylogeny of Mylodontidae (Mammalia, Xenarthra) and the divergence of mylodontine and lestodontine sloths. ZOOL SCR 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Boscaini
- Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA) CCT‐CONICET‐Mendoza Mendoza Argentina
| | - François Pujos
- Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA) CCT‐CONICET‐Mendoza Mendoza Argentina
| | - Timothy J. Gaudin
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga TN USA
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20
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Presslee S, Slater GJ, Pujos F, Forasiepi AM, Fischer R, Molloy K, Mackie M, Olsen JV, Kramarz A, Taglioretti M, Scaglia F, Lezcano M, Lanata JL, Southon J, Feranec R, Bloch J, Hajduk A, Martin FM, Salas Gismondi R, Reguero M, de Muizon C, Greenwood A, Chait BT, Penkman K, Collins M, MacPhee RDE. Palaeoproteomics resolves sloth relationships. Nat Ecol Evol 2019; 3:1121-1130. [PMID: 31171860 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0909-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The living tree sloths Choloepus and Bradypus are the only remaining members of Folivora, a major xenarthran radiation that occupied a wide range of habitats in many parts of the western hemisphere during the Cenozoic, including both continents and the West Indies. Ancient DNA evidence has played only a minor role in folivoran systematics, as most sloths lived in places not conducive to genomic preservation. Here we utilize collagen sequence information, both separately and in combination with published mitochondrial DNA evidence, to assess the relationships of tree sloths and their extinct relatives. Results from phylogenetic analysis of these datasets differ substantially from morphology-based concepts: Choloepus groups with Mylodontidae, not Megalonychidae; Bradypus and Megalonyx pair together as megatherioids, while monophyletic Antillean sloths may be sister to all other folivorans. Divergence estimates are consistent with fossil evidence for mid-Cenozoic presence of sloths in the West Indies and an early Miocene radiation in South America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Presslee
- Department of Archaeology and BioArCh, University of York, Heslington, UK.,Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA.,Paleoproteomics Group, Natural History Museum of Denmark and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Graham J Slater
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - François Pujos
- Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales, CCT-CONICET-Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Analía M Forasiepi
- Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales, CCT-CONICET-Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Roman Fischer
- Target Discovery Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kelly Molloy
- Chait Laboratory and National Resource for the Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Biological Macromolecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meaghan Mackie
- Paleoproteomics Group, Natural History Museum of Denmark and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jesper V Olsen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Kramarz
- Sección Paleovertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 'Bernardino Rivadavia', Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matías Taglioretti
- Museo Municipal de Ciencias Naturales 'Lorenzo Scaglia', Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Fernando Scaglia
- Museo Municipal de Ciencias Naturales 'Lorenzo Scaglia', Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Maximiliano Lezcano
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Diversidad Cultural y Procesos de Cambio, CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - José Luis Lanata
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Diversidad Cultural y Procesos de Cambio, CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - John Southon
- Keck-CCAMS Group, Earth System Science Department, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Adam Hajduk
- Museo de la Patagonia 'F. P. Moreno', Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Fabiana M Martin
- Centro de Estudios del Hombre Austral, Instituto de la Patagonia, Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Rodolfo Salas Gismondi
- BioGeoCiencias Lab, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía/CIDIS, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Marcelo Reguero
- CONICET and División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Christian de Muizon
- Centre de Recherches sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Alex Greenwood
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Brian T Chait
- Chait Laboratory and National Resource for the Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Biological Macromolecules, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kirsty Penkman
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, UK
| | - Matthew Collins
- Paleoproteomics Group, Natural History Museum of Denmark and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ross D E MacPhee
- Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA.
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21
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Delsuc F, Kuch M, Gibb GC, Karpinski E, Hackenberger D, Szpak P, Martínez JG, Mead JI, McDonald HG, MacPhee RDE, Billet G, Hautier L, Poinar HN. Ancient Mitogenomes Reveal the Evolutionary History and Biogeography of Sloths. Curr Biol 2019; 29:2031-2042.e6. [PMID: 31178321 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Living sloths represent two distinct lineages of small-sized mammals that independently evolved arboreality from terrestrial ancestors. The six extant species are the survivors of an evolutionary radiation marked by the extinction of large terrestrial forms at the end of the Quaternary. Until now, sloth evolutionary history has mainly been reconstructed from phylogenetic analyses of morphological characters. Here, we used ancient DNA methods to successfully sequence 10 extinct sloth mitogenomes encompassing all major lineages. This includes the iconic continental ground sloths Megatherium, Megalonyx, Mylodon, and Nothrotheriops and the smaller endemic Caribbean sloths Parocnus and Acratocnus. Phylogenetic analyses identify eight distinct lineages grouped in three well-supported clades, whose interrelationships are markedly incongruent with the currently accepted morphological topology. We show that recently extinct Caribbean sloths have a single origin but comprise two highly divergent lineages that are not directly related to living two-fingered sloths, which instead group with Mylodon. Moreover, living three-fingered sloths do not represent the sister group to all other sloths but are nested within a clade of extinct ground sloths including Megatherium, Megalonyx, and Nothrotheriops. Molecular dating also reveals that the eight newly recognized sloth families all originated between 36 and 28 million years ago (mya). The early divergence of recently extinct Caribbean sloths around 35 mya is consistent with the debated GAARlandia hypothesis postulating the existence at that time of a biogeographic connection between northern South America and the Greater Antilles. This new molecular phylogeny has major implications for reinterpreting sloth morphological evolution, biogeography, and diversification history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Delsuc
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
| | - Melanie Kuch
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Gillian C Gibb
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Wildlife and Ecology Group, School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Centennial Drive, Hokowhitu, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
| | - Emil Karpinski
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Dirk Hackenberger
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Paul Szpak
- Department of Anthropology, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada
| | - Jorge G Martínez
- Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales, CONICET-Instituto de Arqueología y Museo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Martín 1545, CP4000 San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Jim I Mead
- The Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, Hot Springs, SD 57747, USA; East Tennessee State University Natural History Museum, 1212 Suncrest Drive, Johnson City, TN 37615, USA
| | - H Gregory McDonald
- Bureau of Land Management, Utah State Office, 440 West 200 South #500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101, USA
| | - Ross D E MacPhee
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology/Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West & 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Guillaume Billet
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Lionel Hautier
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Mammal Section, Life Sciences, Vertebrate Division, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Hendrik N Poinar
- McMaster Ancient DNA Centre, Departments of Anthropology and Biochemistry, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.
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22
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Evolutive Implications of Megathericulus patagonicus (Xenarthra, Megatheriinae) from the Miocene of Patagonia Argentina. J MAMM EVOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-019-09469-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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