Reconstructing Phylogenetic Frameworks Using Marsupials as a Test System, With Implications For Marsupial Biogeography and the Evolution of Morphological and Molecular Characters

9419617有袋类目和科之间的施普林格进化关系(例如考拉、袋鼠、负鼠)已经被古生物学家、解剖学家、生理学家和生物化学家研究过。然而，包括澳大利亚和美国分类群之间的关系在内的一些问题仍然得到了解答。建议研究的是编码核糖体RNAs的两个线粒体基因的DNA序列。这项研究将评估分子数据与解剖学数据在破译进化关系方面的有用性。分子数据也将被用来估计有袋类之间的分化时间。这些分化时间将在已知海平面变化和过去地质时期大陆板块运动的背景下进行评估，以建立有袋类动物早期进化的动物地理学假说。在这项研究中产生的DNA序列的数据库，结合已经可用于胎盘哺乳动物的序列(例如。啮齿动物、灵长类动物、鲸鱼、海豹)，将使我们能够详细研究哺乳动物核糖体RNA基因的进化。

9419617 Springer Evolutionary relationships among orders and families of marsupials (eg. koalas, kangaroos, opossums) have been studied by paleontologists, anatomists, physiologists and biochemists. However, a number of questions remain answered including relationships between Australian and American taxa. Proposed for study are DNA sequences from two mitochondrial genes that code for ribosomal RNAs. The study will evaluate the usefulness of molecular vs. anatomical data in deciphering evolutionary relationships. Molecular data will also be used to estimate divergence times among marsupial lineages. These divergence times will be evaluated in the context of what is known about sea level change and the movement of continental plates in the geologic past to develop a zoogeographic hypothesis for the early evolution of marsupials. The database of DNA sequences generated in this study, in conjunction with sequences that are already available for placental mammals (eg. rodents, primates, whales, seals) , will allow for detailed study of the evolution of ribosomal RNA genes in mammals.