ArticleBMC evolutionary biology2009
Analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes from extinct and extant rhinoceroses reveals lack of phylogenetic resolution.
Article in BMC evolutionary biology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
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36 citing papers in PubMed.
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- The First Report of Rhino DNA in Thailand: A Possible Extinct Indian Javan Subspecies,Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- A taxonomic review of the genusZooKeys · 2025Review
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- Consideration of genetic variation and evolutionary history in future conservation of Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).BMC ecology and evolution · 2022Article
- Sesamoid bones also show functional adaptation in their microanatomy-The example of the patella in Perissodactyla.Journal of anatomy · 2022Article
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- A first glimpse at the influence of body mass in the morphological integration of the limb long bones: an investigation in modern rhinoceroses.Journal of anatomy · 2020Article
- Mitogenomic phylogenetic analyses ofEcology and evolution · 2019Article
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- Resolving Phylogenetic Relationships within Passeriformes Based on Mitochondrial Genes and Inferring the Evolution of Their Mitogenomes in Terms of Duplications.Genome biology and evolution · 2019Article
- Reduced Gut Microbiome Diversity and Metabolome Differences in Rhinoceros Species at Risk for Iron Overload Disorder.Frontiers in microbiology · 2019Article
- Interspecific variation in the limb long bones among modern rhinoceroses-extent and drivers.PeerJ · 2019Article
- What does mitogenomics tell us about the evolutionary history of the Drosophila buzzatii cluster (repleta group)?PloS one · 2019Article
- Article
- The influence of molecular markers and methods on inferring the phylogenetic relationships between the representatives of the Arini (parrots, Psittaciformes), determined on the basis of their complete mitochondrial genomes.BMC evolutionary biology · 2017Article
- Review
- Extinctions, genetic erosion and conservation options for the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis).Scientific reports · 2017Article
- Article
- A novel mitochondrial genome of Arborophila and new insight into Arborophila evolutionary history.PloS one · 2017Article
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14 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe scientific literature contains many examples where DNA sequence analyses have been used to provide definitive answers to phylogenetic problems that traditional (non-DNA based) approaches alone have failed to resolve. One notable example concerns the rhinoceroses, a group for which several contradictory phylogenies were proposed on the basis of morphology, then apparently resolved using mitochondrial DNA fragments.
resultsIn this study we report the first complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the extinct ice-age woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), and the threatened Javan (Rhinoceros sondaicus), Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), and black (Diceros bicornis) rhinoceroses. In combination with the previously published mitochondrial genomes of the white (Ceratotherium simum) and Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis) rhinoceroses, this data set putatively enables reconstruction of the rhinoceros phylogeny. While the six species cluster into three strongly supported sister-pairings: (i) The black/white, (ii) the woolly/Sumatran, and (iii) the Javan/Indian, resolution of the higher-level relationships has no statistical support. The phylogenetic signal from individual genes is highly diffuse, with mixed topological support from different genes. Furthermore, the choice of outgroup (horse vs tapir) has considerable effect on reconstruction of the phylogeny. The lack of resolution is suggestive of a hard polytomy at the base of crown-group Rhinocerotidae, and this is supported by an investigation of the relative branch lengths.
conclusionSatisfactory resolution of the rhinoceros phylogeny may not be achievable without additional analyses of substantial amounts of nuclear DNA. This study provides a compelling demonstration that, in spite of substantial sequence length, there are significant limitations with single-locus phylogenetics. We expect further examples of this to appear as next-generation, large-scale sequencing of complete mitochondrial genomes becomes commonplace in evolutionary studies. "The human factor in classification is nowhere more evident than in dealing with this superfamily (Rhinocerotoidea)." G. G. Simpson (1945).
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