Document Detail


Mustela or Vison? Evidence for the taxonomic status of the American mink and a distinct biogeographic radiation of American weasels.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19501660     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The American mink's relationship to the weasels in Mustela has been uncertain. Karyological, morphological, and phylogenetic comparisons to Eurasian Mustela support placing the mink outside the genus as Neovison vison. However, genetic comparisons that incorporate other endemic American Mustela suggest the interpretation of N. vison's position to Mustela has been handicapped by biased geographic sampling. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome-b from all weasels endemic to the Americas, including two poorly known South American species (M. felipei, M. africana), weasels native to North America (M. vison, M. frenata, M. nigripes), Mustela migrant to North America (M. erminea, M. nivalis), palearctic Mustela, and other American members of Mustelidae. Bayesian and likelihood inference methods were used to construct a phylogeny of Mustela, and relaxed Bayesian phylogenetic techniques estimated ages of divergence within the genus using priors calibrated by fossil ages. Our analyses show that the American mink and the smaller Mustela endemic to the Americas represent a distinct phylogenetic heritage apart from their Eurasian cousins, and biogeographic barriers like the Bering and Panamanian land bridges have influenced the evolutionary history of Mustela in the Americas.
Authors:
Larisa E Harding; Felisa A Smith
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2009-06-06
Journal Detail:
Title:  Molecular phylogenetics and evolution     Volume:  52     ISSN:  1095-9513     ISO Abbreviation:  Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.     Publication Date:  2009 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-07-13     Completed Date:  2009-08-19     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9304400     Medline TA:  Mol Phylogenet Evol     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  632-42     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Biology MSC03 2020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. ltlbear@unm.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Bayes Theorem
Cytochromes b / genetics
DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
Evolution, Molecular*
Fossils
Genetic Speciation
Genetic Variation
Geography
Likelihood Functions
Mink / classification,  genetics*
North America
Phylogeny*
Sequence Analysis, DNA
South America
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/DNA, Mitochondrial; 9035-37-4/Cytochromes b

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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