Molecular phylogeny of Trogoniformes (Aves).
Item
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Title
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Molecular phylogeny of Trogoniformes (Aves).
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Identifier
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AAI9807927
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identifier
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9807927
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Creator
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Espinosa de los Monteros Solis, Jesus Alejandro.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Joel L. Cracraft
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology, Zoology | Biology, Molecular
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Abstract
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The Trogoniformes is a well defined order of non-passerines. The higher-level phylogenetic relationships of the order are poorly understood. Many approaches have been used to address the relationships of trogoniforms, but the results do not show consistency. Additionally, the characters used to establish the divisions inside the Trogoniformes either overlap among taxa or are so ambiguous as to be impractical for forming monophyletic groups.;In this study, I investigated the phylogenetic relationships of the Trogoniformes based on cladistic analyses of DNA sequences of mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and cytochrome-b.;Chapter 1 explores the higher-level relationships of Trogoniformes to several putative relatives. In this study 35 taxa were sequenced including trogons, owls, cuckoos, parrots, nightjars, hummingbirds, kingfishers, motmots, rollers, mousebirds, and woodpeckers. This analysis concluded that trogons are more closely related to mousebirds, parrots and cuckoos than to any other birds. Most analyses recovered the Coliiformes as the sister-taxon to trogons, however, conflicting results did not allow a conclusive resolution of their higher-level affinities. The limited number of characters supporting internodal branches is best interpreted as a relatively rapid cladogenesis in their evolutionary history.;Chapter 2 examines the intergeneric relationships among trogons. The results show that the genera currently accepted are monophyletic. The New World genera were the sister-taxa to the Asian trogons, and the most basal clade was the African trogons. The phylogeny supports Africa as the ancestral area of trogons, and that the New World was invaded subsequently. Finally, patterns of plumage coloration are examined, giving special attention to the evolution of iridescent structures in feathers.;In Chapter 3 a model for the secondary structure of the 12S rRNA gene is presented. The model proposes the existence of 40 stems and 37 loops, arranged in the typical four helices suggested for the small subunit rRNA. The higher-order structures were used to build an alignment appropriate for phylogenetic analysis. The phylogeny recovered from this alignment was compared with trees inferred from alignments assembled with alignment software. The alignment based on the secondary structure is sensitive to positional covariation of stems. Nonetheless, the phylogeny recovered with this method was more congruent with relationships proposed with non-molecular data than were the phylogenies inferred from the use of alignment software packages.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
