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Total evidence phylogeny of Gasterosteidae: combining molecular, morphological and behavioral data
Michelle Y Mattern, Deborah A McLennan1
1Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Genealogical relationships among Gasterosteidae (Teleostei: Gasterosteiformes) were tested with 84 morphological, 48 behavioral, and 2879 molecular characters. Phylogenetic analysis of the combined data set identified a single (CI = 0.735) best-supported hypothesis (Spinachia (Apeltes ((Pungitius + Culaea)(Gasterosteus aculeatus + G. wheatlandi)))). This hypothesis is identical to previous phylogenetic propositions proposed on the basis of behavioral, and behavioral plus morphological data. Our hypothesis, however, differed from a molecular-based phylogeny in the placement of Apeltes. This analysis highlights the importance of combining all available evidence in order to produce the best-supported proposition of genealogical relationships.
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