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Related Concept Videos

Phylogeny01:23

Phylogeny

Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.
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The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both extant and...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 12, 2026

A Whole Mount In Situ Hybridization Method for the Gastropod Mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis
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A Whole Mount In Situ Hybridization Method for the Gastropod Mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis

Published on: March 15, 2016

Phylogenomics reveals deep molluscan relationships.

Kevin M Kocot1, Johanna T Cannon, Christiane Todt

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 101 Rouse Life Sciences, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA. kmkocot@auburn.edu

Nature
|September 6, 2011
PubMed
Summary

The evolutionary history of molluscs is clarified using phylogenomic data, revealing chitons and worm-like molluscs form a clade. This study also proposes a new classification, Pleistomollusca, for gastropods and bivalves.

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Area of Science:

  • * Zoology
  • * Evolutionary Biology
  • * Phylogenetics

Background:

  • * The evolutionary relationships among the eight major mollusc lineages remain largely unresolved.
  • * Previous phylogenetic studies using nuclear ribosomal genes or morphology have failed to establish robust relationships.
  • * Limited genomic resources have hindered the application of phylogenomic approaches in molluscan research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To resolve the deep evolutionary relationships within the phylum Mollusca.
  • * To utilize transcriptomic and genomic data to reconstruct a well-supported molluscan phylogeny.
  • * To investigate the evolution of key morphological characters in light of the new phylogenetic framework.

Main Methods:

  • * Phylogenomic analysis using transcriptome and genome data from major mollusc lineages (excluding Monoplacophora).
  • * Comparative analysis of morphological characters based on the recovered evolutionary relationships.

Main Results:

  • * A well-supported phylogenetic topology for Mollusca was recovered.
  • * Strong support for the Aculifera hypothesis, grouping Polyplacophora (chitons) with a monophyletic Aplacophora.
  • * A sister-taxon relationship between Gastropoda and Bivalvia was identified, leading to the proposal of the new clade Pleistomollusca.

Conclusions:

  • * The study provides a robust phylogeny for Mollusca, resolving long-standing evolutionary questions.
  • * The findings support the Aculifera clade and establish Pleistomollusca (Gastropoda + Bivalvia) as a major lineage.
  • * Evidence suggests that advanced cephalization and shell development may have evolved independently multiple times within Mollusca.