Phylogenomic analyses support the position of turtles as the sister group of birds and crocodiles (Archosauria).

ABSTRACT:

Background

The morphological peculiarities of turtles have, for a long time, impeded their accurate placement in the phylogeny of amniotes. Molecular data used to address this major evolutionary question have so far been limited to a handful of markers and/or taxa. These studies have supported conflicting topologies, positioning turtles as either the sister group to all other reptiles, to lepidosaurs (tuatara, lizards and snakes), to archosaurs (birds and crocodiles), or to crocodilians. Genome-scale data have been shown to be useful in resolving other debated phylogenies, but no such adequate dataset is yet available for amniotes.

Results

In this study, we used next-generation sequencing to obtain seven new transcriptomes from the blood, liver, or jaws of four turtles, a ca

SUBMITTER: Chiari Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3473239 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature