#systematic biology

Phylogenomic Resolution of the Cetacean Tree of Life Using Target Sequence Capture

Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have undergone the most dramatic morphological transformation of all mammals, having originated from a clade of terrestrial even-toed ungulates (like cattle, hippopotamuses, pigs, and more) over fifty million years ago. As a result of such an interesting and diverse evolutionary history, cetaceans have long been important and insightful subjects of numerous studies.

Until recently, the higher-level relationships between the cetacean families have taken precedence in research, leaving the systematics and lower-level relationships both under-explored and unresolved. 

New research from Systematic Biologysought to rectify this gap in knowledge by combining data from >38,000 exons with existing sequences from 11 cetaceans and seven outgroup taxa, producing the first comprehensive comparative genomic dataset for cetaceans.

Enrich your knowledge further by exploring a more holistic insight of the genetic intricacies within cetacean families and discover new clarifications of the contentious relationships among particular species.