Resolution of the Early Placental Mammal Radiation Using Bayesian Phylogenetics

Authors

• William J. Murphy, National Cancer Institute at Frederick
• Eduardo Eizirik, National Cancer Institute at Frederick; University of Maryland
• Stephen J. O'Brien, National Cancer Institute at FrederickFollow
• Ole Madsen, University of Nijmegen - Netherlands
• Mark Scally, University of California - Riverside; Queen's University of Belfast - United Kingdom
• Christophe J. Douady, University of California - Riverside; Queen's University of Belfast - United Kingdom
• Emma Teeling, University of California - Riverside; Queen's University of Belfast - United Kingdom
• Oliver A. Ryder, Zoological Society of San Diego
• Michael J. Stanhope, Queen's University of Belfast - United Kingdom; GlaxoSmithKline
• Wilfried W. de Jong, University of Nijmegen - Netherlands; Institute for Systematics and Population Biology - Netherlands
• Mark S. Springer, University of California - Riverside

ORCID

0000-0001-7353-8301

ResearcherID

N-1726-2015

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Science

ISSN

0036-8075

Publication Date

12-14-2001

Abstract

Molecular phylogenetic studies have resolved placental mammals into four major groups, but have not established the full hierarchy of interordinal relationships, including the position of the root. The latter is critical for understanding the early biogeographic history of placentals. We investigated placental phylogeny using Bayesian and maximum-likelihood methods and a 16.4- kilobase molecular data set. Interordinal relationships are almost entirely resolved. The basal split is between Afrotheria and other placentals, at about 103 million years, and may be accounted for by the separation of South America and Africa in the Cretaceous. Crown-group Eutheria may have their most recent common ancestry in the Southern Hemisphere (Gondwana).

Volume

294

Issue

5550

First Page

2348

Last Page

2351

Comments

©2001 American Association for the Advancement of Science

NSUWorks Citation

Murphy, William J.; Eduardo Eizirik; Stephen J. O'Brien; Ole Madsen; Mark Scally; Christophe J. Douady; Emma Teeling; Oliver A. Ryder; Michael J. Stanhope; Wilfried W. de Jong; and Mark S. Springer. 2001. "Resolution of the Early Placental Mammal Radiation Using Bayesian Phylogenetics." Science 294, (5550): 2348-2351. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cnso_bio_facarticles/594