10.5061/DRYAD.845
Wiens, John J.
Chippindale, Paul T.
Hillis, David M.
Data from: When are phylogenetic analyses misled by convergence? A case
study in Texas cave salamanders
Dryad
dataset
2009
Salamanders
Eurycea
Molecular systematics
2009-08-07T18:43:45Z
2009-08-07T18:43:45Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1080/10635150390218222
861411 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Convergence, i.e., similarity between organisms that is not the direct
result of shared phylogenetic history (and that may instead result from
independent adaptations to similar environments), is a fundamental issue
that lies at the interface of systematics and evolutionary biology.
Although convergence is often cited as an important problem in
morphological phylogenetics, there have been few well-documented examples
of strongly supported and misleading phylogenetic estimates that result
from adaptive convergence in morphology. In this article, we propose
criteria that can be used to infer whether or not a phylogenetic analysis
has been misled by convergence. We then apply these criteria in a study of
central Texas cave salamanders (genus Eurycea). Morphological characters
(apparently related to cave-dwelling habitat use) support a clade uniting
the species E. rathbuni and E. tridentifera, whereas mitochondrial DNA
sequences and allozyme data show that these two species are not closely
related. We suggest that a likely explanation for the paucity of examples
of strongly misleading morphological convergence is that the conditions
under which adaptive convergence is most likely to produce strongly
misleading results are limited. Specifically, convergence is most likely
to be problematic in groups (such as the central Texas Eurycea) in which
most species are morphologically very similar and some of the species have
invaded and adapted to a novel selective environment.
Eurycea Allozyme Data SetEurycea-allozyme_8-27-02.htmEurycea Combined Data
SetEurycea-combined-data_8-27-.htmEurycea DNA Data
SetEurycea-DNA_8-27-02.htmEurycea DNA/SSR Data
SetEurycea-DNA_SSR_8-27-02.htm