کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
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2835076 | 1164332 | 2008 | 8 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
The generally accepted hypothesis regarding the origin of fossorial mammals proposes adaptive convergence from open environments towards the use of subterranean environments. We evaluated this hypothesis for South American mole-mice using conventional and Bayesian frameworks, with independent evidence. By using a molecular approach based on Cytochrome b and IRBP sequences, we evaluated phylogenetic relationships, time of origin, the ancestral trait of fossoriality, and ancestral distributions of species belonging to the Andean Clade (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae). Our results indicate that the Andean Clade is highly sustained; with one clade grouping all fossorial forms and another grouping all cursorial species. We hypothesized that fossoriality originated in the Miocene/Pliocene transition, in the Temperate Forests of southern South America. We conclude that the origin of fossorial ecomorphological traits did not necessarily occur under a general model of open environments, the origin of these traits depends on the ecological-historical relationship of the taxon with the environment.
Journal: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution - Volume 48, Issue 2, August 2008, Pages 473–480