Phylogenetic Relationships within the Class Spirotrichea (Ciliophora) Inferred from Small Subunit rRNA Gene Sequences

The small subunit rDNAs of five species belonging to the Euplotidae and eight species of the Oxytrichidae were sequenced to obtain a more detailed picture of the phylogenetic relationships within the Spirotrichea (Ciliophora). Various tree reconstruction algorhythms yielded nearly identical topologi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular phylogenetics and evolution 2001-10, Vol.21 (1), p.86-92
Main Authors: Bernhard, Detlef, Stechmann, Alexandra, Foissner, Wilhelm, Ammermann, Dieter, Hehn, Manuela, Schlegel, Martin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Base Sequence
Ciliophora
Ciliophora - classification
Ciliophora - genetics
DNA, Protozoan - chemistry
DNA, Protozoan - genetics
Euplotidae
Molecular Sequence Data
Oxytrichidae
Phylogeny
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S - genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
small subunit rDNA
Spirotrichea
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The small subunit rDNAs of five species belonging to the Euplotidae and eight species of the Oxytrichidae were sequenced to obtain a more detailed picture of the phylogenetic relationships within the Spirotrichea (Ciliophora). Various tree reconstruction algorhythms yielded nearly identical topologies. All Euplotidae were separated from the other Spirotrichea by a deep split. Further, a large genetic distance between the marine genus Moneuplotes and the freshwater species of Euplotoides was found. Differences between the methods used occurred only within the Oxytrichidae. Whereas the monophyly of the Stylonychinae was supported in all trees, the monophyly of the Oxytrichinae was not. However, the molecular data support the morphological and ontogenetic evidence that the pattern of 18 frontal–ventral–transversal cirri evolved in the stemline of the Oxytrichidae and was modified several times independently. Our results are also in agreement with taxonomic revisions: the separation of both Sterkiella nova from Oxytricha and Tetmemena pustulata from Stylonychia.
ISSN:1055-7903
1095-9513
DOI:10.1006/mpev.2001.0997