Time-calibrated Phylogeny of Neotropical Freshwater Fishes
Author Information
Author(s): Tagliacollo Victor A., Tan Milton, Reis Roberto E., Gaia Ronielson, Carrijo Virgilio, Ranuzi Marcelo, Craig Jack M., Albert James S.
Primary Institution: Institute of Biology, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Hypothesis
This study aims to build and curate an extensive molecular dataset to evaluate macroevolutionary hypotheses in Neotropical freshwater fishes.
Conclusion
The study presents the most comprehensive time-calibrated phylogeny of Neotropical freshwater fishes to date, based on a supermatrix of DNA sequences.
Supporting Evidence
- The study compiles a dataset reflecting three decades of molecular research by the ichthyological community.
- It includes DNA sequences from public repositories like GenBank.
- The phylogeny provides a holistic view of NFF biodiversity and establishes a comparative framework for testing macroevolutionary hypotheses.
- The dataset represents 50% of all valid NFF species and 86% of all NFF genera.
Takeaway
Scientists created a big family tree for South American freshwater fish to understand how they evolved and how many different types there are.
Methodology
The study compiled a supermatrix of 51 markers for 5,984 taxa, representing 3,167 species, using DNA sequences from various studies.
Potential Biases
Potential misidentifications of taxa and incomplete coverage in the alignments can affect the accuracy and comprehensiveness of analyses.
Limitations
The accuracy of the phylogeny is affected by the representation of genes and taxa included in previous investigations, with known biases in the representations of fish species by clade, traits, geographic and ecological ranges, and conservation status.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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