Showing papers by "Andy Purvis published in 2007"
Australian National University1, Technische Universität München2, Zoological Society of London3, American Museum of Natural History4, University of New South Wales5, Royal Botanic Gardens6, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center7, University of British Columbia8, University of Georgia9, Imperial College London10
TL;DR: The results show that the phylogenetic ‘fuses’ leading to the explosion of extant placental orders are not only very much longer than suspected previously, but also challenge the hypothesis that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event had a major, direct influence on the diversification of today’s mammals.
Abstract: Did the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event, by eliminating non-avian dinosaurs and most of the existing fauna, trigger the evolutionary radiation of present-day mammals? Here we construct, date and analyse a species-level phylogeny of nearly all extant Mammalia to bring a new perspective to this question. Our analyses of how extant lineages accumulated through time show that net per-lineage diversification rates barely changed across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary. Instead, these rates spiked significantly with the origins of the currently recognized placental superorders and orders approximately 93 million years ago, before falling and remaining low until accelerating again throughout the Eocene and Oligocene epochs. Our results show that the phylogenetic 'fuses' leading to the explosion of extant placental orders are not only very much longer than suspected previously, but also challenge the hypothesis that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event had a major, direct influence on the diversification of today's mammals.
1,994 citations
TL;DR: A complete phylogeny for all 271 extant species of the Garnivora is derived, providing a ‘consensus’ estimate of carnivore phylogeny and showing that some lineages within the Mustelinae and Canidae contain significantly more species than expected for their age, illustrating the tree's utility for studies of macroevolution.
Abstract: One way to build larger, more comprehensive phylogenies is to combine the vast amount of phylogenetic information already available. We review the two main strategies for accomplishing this (combining raw data versus combining trees), but employ a relatively new variant of the latter: supertree construction. The utility of one supertree technique, matrix representation using parsimony analysis (MRP), is demonstrated by deriving a complete phylogeny for all 271 extant species of the Carnivora from 177 literature sources. Beyond providing a ‘consensus’ estimate of carnivore phylogeny, the tree also indicates taxa for which the relationships remain controversial (e.g. the red panda; within canids, felids, and hyaenids) or have not been studied in any great detail (e.g. herpestids, viverrids, and intrageneric relationships in the procyonids). Times of divergence throughout the tree were also estimated from 74 literature sources based on both fossil and molecular data. We use the phylogeny to show that some lineages within the Mustelinae and Canidae contain significantly more species than expected for their age, illustrating the tree’s utility for studies of macroevolution. It will also provide a useful foundation for comparative and conservational studies involving the carnivores.
587 citations
TL;DR: A comparative analysis of mammalian life histories shows that, for mammals at least, there is not a single fast‐slow continuum, but rather, the speed of life varies along at least two largely independent axes when body size effects are removed.
Abstract: Many life‐history traits co‐vary across species, even when body size differences are controlled for. This phenomenon has led to the concept of a “fast‐slow continuum,” which has been influential in both empirical and theoretical studies of life‐history evolution. We present a comparative analysis of mammalian life histories showing that, for mammals at least, there is not a single fast‐slow continuum. Rather, both across and within mammalian clades, the speed of life varies along at least two largely independent axes when body size effects are removed. One axis reflects how species balance offspring size against offspring number, while the other describes the timing of reproductive bouts.
356 citations
TL;DR: The results suggest that structures may be gained readily as well as lost in centropagid copepods, and the common assumption that evolution tends to proceed via the loss of structures in crustaceans is evaluated.
Abstract: Recent studies have shown the value of complementing standard taxonomy with genetic analyses to reveal cryptic diversity and to aid in the understanding of patterns of evolution. We surveyed variation in the COI mitochondrial gene in members of the three genera of centropagid copepods from the inland waters in Argentina. In general, we found a close association between molecular and morphological systematics in this group. Similar to findings for marine calanoids, genetic distances within Boeckella species were modest ( 11%). Parabroteas is currently monotypic, although we detected cryptic genetic diversity, with two lineages showing 5.5% divergence. In contrast, Karukinka was not a valid genus, apparently representing an interesting and atavistic offshoot of B. poppei, a result reinforcing the value of considering both morphological and molecular evidence. Moreover, we used combined genetic and morphological information, analysed with maximum likelihood methods, to evaluate the common assumption that evolution tends to proceed via the loss of structures in crustaceans. Although analysis of other taxa and character types is required to evaluate fully the reduction hypothesis, our results suggest that structures may be gained readily as well as lost. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90, 279–292.
54 citations