Ascidian mitogenomics: comparison of evolutionary rates in closely related taxa provides evidence of ongoing speciation events.

ABSTRACT: Ascidians are a fascinating group of filter-feeding marine chordates characterized by rapid evolution of both sequences and structure of their nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Moreover, they include several model organisms used to investigate complex biological processes in chordates. To study the evolutionary dynamics of ascidians at short phylogenetic distances, we sequenced 13 new mitogenomes and analyzed them, together with 15 other available mitogenomes, using a novel approach involving detailed whole-mitogenome comparisons of conspecific and congeneric pairs. The evolutionary rate was quite homogeneous at both intraspecific and congeneric level, and the lowest congeneric rates were found in cryptic (morphologically undistinguishable) and in morphologically very similar species pair

SUBMITTER: Griggio F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3971592 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature