Dissertation Research: Molecular Examination of the Relationship Between the Skunks (Mephitinae) and the Rest of the Mustelidae

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9310553 Bickham and Dragoo Although individual species of the family Mustelidae (weasels, badgers, otters, and skunks) in the mammalian order Carnivora are easy to recognize, taxonomic relationships among them and their phylogenetic connections are problematic, with numerous conflicting hypotheses based on morphological and chromosomal evidence. The diversity of morphological form, of behaviors, and of ecological preferences among mustelids is thought to represent several instances of parallel or convergent evolutionary change since the Miocene. The subfamily Mephitinae, the skunks, in particular is recognized as extremely divergent and perhaps is the earliest evolutionary lineage in the group. The purpose of work by graduate student Dragoo under the supervision of Dr. Bickham is to acquire new DNA nucleotide sequence data for comparative analysis of mutational difference among all species of skunks and among representatives in the four other subfamilies of Mustelidae. Both mitochondrial and nuclear genes are targeted for analysis, to provide evidence on both maternal lineages and biparental inheritance. %%% Conflicting interpretations of traditional morphological characters in mammal taxonomy have left unresolved the phylogeny of the family Mustelidae, the weasels, badgers, otters, and skunks of the world. An independent and robust dataset of DNA nucleotide sequences from both mitochondrial and nuclear genes will help resolve this problem, and in turn provide direction for evolutionary analysis of biogeography, behavioral changes, and ecological shifts.