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Estimating phylogenetic relationships despite discordant gene trees across loci: the species tree of a diverse species group of feather mites (Acari: Proctophyllodidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2011

LACEY L. KNOWLES*
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Zoology, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079, USA
PAVEL B. KLIMOV*
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Museum of Zoology, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079, USA
*
*Corresponding authors: University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079 USA. LLK: Phone: (734) 763-5603. Fax: (734) 763-4080. E-mail: knowlesl@umich.edu. PBK: Phone: (734) 763-4354. Fax: (734) 763-4080. E-mail: pklimov@umich.edu
*Corresponding authors: University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079 USA. LLK: Phone: (734) 763-5603. Fax: (734) 763-4080. E-mail: knowlesl@umich.edu. PBK: Phone: (734) 763-4354. Fax: (734) 763-4080. E-mail: pklimov@umich.edu
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Summary

With the increased availability of multilocus sequence data, the lack of concordance of gene trees estimated for independent loci has focused attention on both the biological processes producing the discord and the methodologies used to estimate phylogenetic relationships. What has emerged is a suite of new analytical tools for phylogenetic inference – species tree approaches. In contrast to traditional phylogenetic methods that are stymied by the idiosyncrasies of gene trees, approaches for estimating species trees explicitly take into account the cause of discord among loci and, in the process, provides a direct estimate of phylogenetic history (i.e. the history of species divergence, not divergence of specific loci). We illustrate the utility of species tree estimates with an analysis of a diverse group of feather mites, the pinnatus species group (genus Proctophyllodes). Discord among four sequenced nuclear loci is consistent with theoretical expectations, given the short time separating speciation events (as evident by short internodes relative to terminal branch lengths in the trees). Nevertheless, many of the relationships are well resolved in a Bayesian estimate of the species tree; the analysis also highlights ambiguous aspects of the phylogeny that require additional loci. The broad utility of species tree approaches is discussed, and specifically, their application to groups with high speciation rates – a history of diversification with particular prevalence in host/parasite systems where species interactions can drive rapid diversification.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011
Figure 0

Fig. 1. Species tree with contained gene tree showing the deep coalescence of gene lineages (marked with circles). Incongruence between a gene tree and the underlying species tree may occur in not only recently derived species, but also can extend back in time along the internal species-tree branches (i.e. those shown in shades of grey). The deep coalescence of gene lineages in the more distant past (i.e. the short internal branches in the species tree separating species E from the ancestor that gave rise to the sister taxa C and D) arises from the random loss of gene lineages by genetic drift of the two or more gene lineages that coexisted in the past, even though multiple ancestral gene lineages no longer persist in species C, D and E because they did not diverge recently. In other words, even in monophyletic species (e.g. species C, D and E), deep coalescence in the past leads to gene tree-species tree discord in the present (from Knowles, 2009).

Figure 1

Fig. 2. Rose-breasted grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus (left), the host of the mite Proctophyllodes pheuctici (right) showing the typical location of mites on the wing primary feathers. The bird photo was downloaded from http://pixdaus.com (public domain); the photos of the mites are from Barry OConnor (UMMZ vouchers BMOC 08-0320-003 and BMOC 07-0626-001; reproduced with permission).

Figure 2

Fig. 3. Schematic showing the phylogenetic position of the Proctophyllodes pinnatus-group within the subfamily of the Proctophyllodinae (based on analyses of 18S, 28S, EF1-α, SRP54, and HSP70; Klimov and OConnor, unpublished). Note the relatively short internodes separating species within the pinnatus species group that suggests species-tree methods are particularly relevant to resolving phylogenetic relationships because of expected gene tree discord (reviewed in Knowles and Kubatko, 2010).

Figure 3

Table 1. Taxonomic sampling and GenBank reference numbers of the Proctophyllodes pinnatus-group and outgroups

Figure 4

Fig. 4. Estimated gene trees for the nuclear loci: (A) 18S, (B) 28S, (C) EF1-α, and (D) HSP70. Branches that are not congruent with the species tree are shown in black, whereas congruent branches across the independent loci are shown in grey. Posterior probabilities are shown for each node.

Figure 5

Fig. 5. Bayesian estimate of the species tree for the Proctophyllodes pinnatus-group with posterior probability values for species relationships shown.

Supplementary material: PDF

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