Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA

A phylogenetic study of eleven cetaceans was undertaken using Restriction Endonuclease Maps (RSM) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). One species from the suborder mysticeti (baleen whales) was sampled, and of the ten odontocetes (toothed whales) sampled two were from the family Ziphiidae (beaked whales)...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ohland, Derek Paul
Other Authors: Harley, Eric H
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Division of Chemical Pathology 2018
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613289957031936
access_status_str Open Access
author Ohland, Derek Paul
author2 Harley, Eric H
author_browse Harley, Eric H
Ohland, Derek Paul
author_facet Harley, Eric H
Ohland, Derek Paul
author_sort Ohland, Derek Paul
collection Thesis
description A phylogenetic study of eleven cetaceans was undertaken using Restriction Endonuclease Maps (RSM) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). One species from the suborder mysticeti (baleen whales) was sampled, and of the ten odontocetes (toothed whales) sampled two were from the family Ziphiidae (beaked whales) and eight were from the family Delphinidae (dolphins) (each representing a different genus). The primarily opportunistically obtained (i.e. from strandings or accidental death in commercial trawl nets) heart tissue generally yielded high quantities of mtDNA which is needed for double digest fragment analysis. The mtDNA extracted from the sampled taxa was cleaved with fifteen different six-base Restriction Enzymes (RE's). Using the three-way method of analysis and aided by the computer program Resolve (Ver. 2.7) (Harley, unpublished), RSM's were constructed. Distance (Neighbor-Joining and Fitsch-Margoliash) and cladistic (Maximum Parsimony and Bootstrap) methods were used to infer phylogenies. The baleen whale was used as an outgroup for the cladistic analysis. Both the distance and both the cladistic methods produced the same single topology, which is concordant with morphologically based classifications. The two differences (within the Delphinidae), viz. Grampus' most basally rooted position and Cephalorhynchus' grouping with the Delphininae are of taxa whose groupings are unresolved in the morphologically based classifications. Using Brown et al's (1979) molecular clock, very recent divergence times at the generic, family and suborder levels were obtained, when compared to fossil based estimates. Using the odontoceti/mysticeti split the base substitution rate of cetacean mtDNA was estimated to be much slower than that of terrestrial mammals (0,3% compared to 1,0% Myr⁻¹). A similarly slow rate was calculated for cetacean nuclear DNA (nDNA) (0,09% Myr⁻¹) (Schlotterer et al, 1991). It remains an unresolved issue as to whether the base substitution rate of cetacean DNA is slower than terrestrial mammals or whether the fossil evidence needs to be reinterpreted. The time of the mysticeti/odontoceti split is palaeontologically uncertain and the suggested monophyletic status of the extant suborders has been questioned, thus making the calculation of cetacean base substitution rate risky. Equally, the incomplete fossil record can lend itself to misinterpretation.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/27119
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:33:45.686Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2018
publishDateRange 2018
publishDateSort 2018
publisher Division of Chemical Pathology
publisherStr Division of Chemical Pathology
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/27119 Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA Ohland, Derek Paul Harley, Eric H Chemical Pathology Cetacea DNA, Mitochondrial - analysis Phylogeny Restriction Mapping A phylogenetic study of eleven cetaceans was undertaken using Restriction Endonuclease Maps (RSM) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). One species from the suborder mysticeti (baleen whales) was sampled, and of the ten odontocetes (toothed whales) sampled two were from the family Ziphiidae (beaked whales) and eight were from the family Delphinidae (dolphins) (each representing a different genus). The primarily opportunistically obtained (i.e. from strandings or accidental death in commercial trawl nets) heart tissue generally yielded high quantities of mtDNA which is needed for double digest fragment analysis. The mtDNA extracted from the sampled taxa was cleaved with fifteen different six-base Restriction Enzymes (RE's). Using the three-way method of analysis and aided by the computer program Resolve (Ver. 2.7) (Harley, unpublished), RSM's were constructed. Distance (Neighbor-Joining and Fitsch-Margoliash) and cladistic (Maximum Parsimony and Bootstrap) methods were used to infer phylogenies. The baleen whale was used as an outgroup for the cladistic analysis. Both the distance and both the cladistic methods produced the same single topology, which is concordant with morphologically based classifications. The two differences (within the Delphinidae), viz. Grampus' most basally rooted position and Cephalorhynchus' grouping with the Delphininae are of taxa whose groupings are unresolved in the morphologically based classifications. Using Brown et al's (1979) molecular clock, very recent divergence times at the generic, family and suborder levels were obtained, when compared to fossil based estimates. Using the odontoceti/mysticeti split the base substitution rate of cetacean mtDNA was estimated to be much slower than that of terrestrial mammals (0,3% compared to 1,0% Myr⁻¹). A similarly slow rate was calculated for cetacean nuclear DNA (nDNA) (0,09% Myr⁻¹) (Schlotterer et al, 1991). It remains an unresolved issue as to whether the base substitution rate of cetacean DNA is slower than terrestrial mammals or whether the fossil evidence needs to be reinterpreted. The time of the mysticeti/odontoceti split is palaeontologically uncertain and the suggested monophyletic status of the extant suborders has been questioned, thus making the calculation of cetacean base substitution rate risky. Equally, the incomplete fossil record can lend itself to misinterpretation. 2018-01-30T13:37:34Z 2018-01-30T13:37:34Z 1992 Master Thesis Masters MSc (Med) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27119 eng application/pdf Division of Chemical Pathology Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Chemical Pathology
Cetacea
DNA, Mitochondrial - analysis
Phylogeny
Restriction Mapping
Ohland, Derek Paul
Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA
title_full Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA
title_fullStr Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA
title_full_unstemmed Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA
title_short Systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA
title_sort systematics of cetaceans using restriction site mapping of mitochondrial dna
topic Chemical Pathology
Cetacea
DNA, Mitochondrial - analysis
Phylogeny
Restriction Mapping
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27119
work_keys_str_mv AT ohlandderekpaul systematicsofcetaceansusingrestrictionsitemappingofmitochondrialdna