Phylogenomic analyses of Echinodermata support the sister groups of Asterozoa and Echinozoa.

ABSTRACT: Echinoderms (sea urchins, sea stars, brittle stars, sea lilies and sea cucumbers) are a group of diverse organisms, second in number within deuterostome species to only the chordates. Echinoderms serve as excellent model systems for developmental biology due to their diverse developmental mechanisms, tractable laboratory use, and close phylogenetic distance to chordates. In addition, echinoderms are very well represented in the fossil record, including some larval features, making echinoderms a valuable system for studying evolutionary development. The internal relationships of Echinodermata have not been consistently supported across phylogenetic analyses, however, and this has hindered the study of other aspects of their biology. In order to test echinoderm phylogenetic relationships, we

SUBMITTER: Reich A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4368666 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature