| Abstract | The clade Syndermata includes the endoparasitic Acanthocephala, the epibiotic Seisonidea, and the free-living Bdelloidea and Monogononta. The phylogeny of Syndermata is highly debated, hindering the understanding of the evolution of morphological features, reproductive modes, and lifestyles within the group. Here, we use publicly available whole-genome data to re-evaluate syndermatan phylogeny and assess the credibility of alternative hypotheses, using a new combination of phylogenomic methods. We found that the Hemirotifera and Pararotatoria hypotheses were recovered under combinations of datasets and methods with reduced possibility of systematic error in concatenation-based analyses. In contrast, the Seisonidea-sister and Lemniscea hypotheses were recovered under dataset combinations with increased possibility of systematic error. Hemirotifera was further supported by whole-genome microsynteny analyses and species-tree methods that use multi-copy orthogroups after removing distantly related outgroups. Pararotatoria was only partially supported by microsynteny-based phylogenomic reconstructions. Hence, Hemirotifera and partially Pararotatoria were supported by independent phylogenetic methods and data-evaluation approaches. These two hypotheses have important implications for the evolution of syndermatan morphological features, such as the gradual reduction of locomotory ciliation from the common ancestor of Syndermata in the stem lineage of Pararotatoria. Our study illustrates the importance of combining various types of evidence to resolve difficult phylogenetic questions. |
| Text | 491750 2024 10.1007/s10750 023 05451 9 rotifera Whole genome analyses converge to support the Hemirotifera hypothesis within Syndermata Gnathifera Alexandros Vasilikopoulos, Holger Herlyn, Diego Fontaneto, Christopher Gordon Wilson, Reuben William Nowell, Jean François Flot, Timothy Giles Barraclough Karine Van Doninck Research Unit of Molecular Biology and Evolution, Universite libre de Bruxelles ULB , 1050, Brussels, Belgium Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution iomE , Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099, Anthropology, Germany Molecular Ecology Group MEG , Water Research Institute IRSA , National Research Council CNR , 28922, Verbania Pallanza, Italy Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Universite libre de Bruxelles ULB , 1050, Brussels, Belgium Interuniversity Institute of Bioinformatics in Brussels, Universite libre de Bruxelles ULB Vrije Universiteit Brussel VUB , 1050, Brussels, Belgium Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, Universite de Namur, 5000, Namur, Belgium The clade Syndermata includes the endoparasitic Acanthocephala, the epibiotic Seisonidea, and the free living Bdelloidea and Monogononta. The phylogeny of Syndermata is highly debated, hindering the understanding of the evolution of morphological features, reproductive modes, and lifestyles within the group. Here, we use publicly available whole genome data to re evaluate syndermatan phylogeny and assess the credibility of alternative hypotheses, using a new combination of phylogenomic methods. We found that the Hemirotifera and Pararotatoria hypotheses were recovered under combinations of datasets and methods with reduced possibility of systematic error in concatenation based analyses. In contrast, the Seisonidea sister and Lemniscea hypotheses were recovered under dataset combinations with increased possibility of systematic error. Hemirotifera was further supported by whole genome microsynteny analyses and species tree methods that use multi copy orthogroups after removing distantly related outgroups. Pararotatoria was only partially supported by microsynteny based phylogenomic reconstructions. Hence, Hemirotifera and partially Pararotatoria were supported by independent phylogenetic methods and data evaluation approaches. These two hypotheses have important implications for the evolution of syndermatan morphological features, such as the gradual reduction of locomotory ciliation from the common ancestor of Syndermata in the stem lineage of Pararotatoria. Our study illustrates the importance of combining various types of evidence to resolve difficult phylogenetic questions. Published version https //link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10750 023 05451 9 vas 2024_HYDRO_Vasilikopoulos et al EV.pdf Articolo in rivista Kluwer 1573 5117 Hydrobiologia Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia. Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Dordrecht Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia Boston Dordr., Online Hydrobiologia London Dordr., Online diego.fontaneto FONTANETO DIEGO |
