Dissertation Research: The Effect of Metabolic Rate on Mitochondrial DNA Evolution in the Tenrecidae (Insectivora: Mammalia)

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9623454 Patterson The genetic code is "degenerate," because not all changes in genetic structure are accompanied by changes in the proteins they produce. Base-pair substitutions at "silent" coding sites of mitichondrial DNA are known to deviate from the constant mutation rates predicted by population genetic theory. Some researchers hypothesize that higher metabolic rates produce higher (and therefore unequal) rates of DNA mutation. A little-known family of mammalian insectivores, the tenrecs of Madagascar and Africa, exhibit a wide range of metabolic rates and is thus especially well suited for testing this hypothesis for unequal evolutionary rates. The evolutionary relationships of the tenrecs will be established using independent morphological and genetic information, including nuclear DNA sequences. The evolution of metabolic rates and their effects on mitochondrial DNA substitutions will be assessed against this evolutionary tree, providing a powerful empirical test of theoretical predictions.