Evidence from Nuclear DNA Sequences Sheds Light on the Phylogenetic Relationships of Pinnipedia: Single Origin with Affinity to Musteloidea

• DOI: 10.2108/zsj.23.125
• Publication Date: 2006-04-07T05:58:36Z
• Authors: Jun J. Sato; Mieczyslaw Wolsan; Hitoshi Suzuki; Tetsuji Hosoda; Yasunori Yamaguchi; Kozue Hiyama; Mari Kobayashi; Shinji Minami
• Keywords: Mustelidae; Maximum parsimony; Zalophus californianus; Lineage (genetic)

Considerable long-standing controversy and confusion surround the phylogenetic affinities of pinnipeds, largely marine group "fin-footed" members placental mammalian order Carnivora. Until most recently, two major competing hypotheses were that pinnipeds have a single (monophyletic) origin from bear-like ancestor, or they dual (diphyletic) origin, with sea lions (Otariidae) derived seals (Phocidae) an otter-, mustelid-, musteloid-like ancestor. We examined relationships among 29 species arctoid carnivorans using concatenated sequence 3228 bp three nuclear loci (apolipoprotein B, APOB; interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein, IRBP; recombination-activating gene 1, RAG1). The represented Pinnipedia (Otariidae: Callorhinus, Eumetopias; Phocidae: Phoca), bears (Ursidae: Ursus, Melursus), Musteloidea (Mustelidae: Mustela, Enhydra, Melogale, Martes, Gulo, Meles; Procyonidae: Procyon; Ailuridae: Ailurus; Mephitidae: Mephitis). Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference analyses separate combined datasets produced trees congruent topologies. dataset resulted in well-resolved well-supported phylogeny reconstructions. Evidence DNA evolution presented here contradicts pinniped strongly suggests ancestor shared to exclusion Ursidae.