Comparison of Mitochondrial Genome Sequences of Cetartiodactyls (Mammalia, Laurasiatheria)

Abstract

Comparing complete animal mitochondrial genome sequences is becoming increasingly common as a model for genome evolution and phylogenetic reconstruction. In the present work, we compare the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of five species of cetaceans and artiodactyls and infer phylogenetic relationships among them. The genome of the taxa contains the 37 genes found in a typical mammalian genome, a general structure that is highly-conserved among species. Phylogenetic trees constructed using MP, ML, and BI methods show a similar topology, and indicate the paraphyly of Artiodactyla, due to the sister-group relationship between the Cetacea and the Hippopotamidae. The study confirms that mitogenomics is a useful tool for research on mammal phylogenetics, but recognizes that increased taxon sampling is still required to resolve existing differences between nuclear and mitochondrial gene trees.