Publications [#228241] of Clifford W. Cunningham

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Papers Published

  1. Morrison, CL; Harvey, AW; Lavery, S; Tieu, K; Huang, Y; Cunningham, CW, Mitochondrial gene rearrangements confirm the parallel evolution of the crab-like form., Proceedings. Biological sciences, vol. 269 no. 1489 (February, 2002), pp. 345-350 [doi] .
    (last updated on 2024/11/19)

    Abstract:
    The repeated appearance of strikingly similar crab-like forms in independent decapod crustacean lineages represents a remarkable case of parallel evolution. Uncertainty surrounding the phylogenetic relationships among crab-like lineages has hampered evolutionary studies. As is often the case, aligned DNA sequences by themselves were unable to fully resolve these relationships. Four nested mitochondrial gene rearrangements--including one of the few reported movements of an arthropod protein-coding gene--are congruent with the DNA phylogeny and help to resolve a crucial node. A phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences, and gene rearrangements, supported five independent origins of the crab-like form, and suggests that the evolution of the crab-like form may be irreversible. This result supports the utility of mitochondrial gene rearrangements in phylogenetic reconstruction.