Molecular Systematics of the Sciuridae

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9726855 Roth An understanding of the evolutionary relationships of rodents, and of squirrels (family Sciruidae) in particular, is fundamental to reconstructing the course of mammalian evolution. Rodents constitute nearly half the extant species of mammals, and morphologically, sciurids are relatively primitive, which renders their relationships to other families of rodents of key importance in determining the evolutionary history of the Rodentia. The squirrel family is well circumscribed; diverse in its ecology, it ranges widely in body size, and is thus a rich source of evolutionary patterns. Its good fossil record and wide geographic distribution further permit evolutionary patterns to be placed in temporal and geographic contexts. Phylogenetic relationships of flying squirrels, pygmy squirrels, tree squirrels, and ground squirrels had never before been evaluated together using a single data set. In this research by V. Louise Roth and John M. Mercer, DNA sequence data will be used to reconstruct the geneaology of the squirrel family. Preliminary studies suggest that the relationships among squirrels are, in many fundamental ways, different from what has previously been assumed by systematic biologists. This work should provide a new framework for interpreting variation in this group of rodents, clarifying evolutionary history in a major component of mammalian diversity.