Phylogenomic resolution of the root of Panpulmonata, a hyperdiverse radiation of gastropods: new insight into the evolution of air breathing
Transitions to terrestriality have been associated with major animal radiations including land snails and slugs in Stylommatophora (>20 000 described species), the most successful lineage of ‘pulmonates’ (a non-monophyletic assemblage of air-breathing gastropods). However, phylogenomic studies have failed to robustly resolve relationships among traditional pulmonates and affiliated marine lineages that comprise clade Panpulmonata (Mollusca, Gastropoda), especially two key taxa: Sacoglossa, a group including photosynthetic sea slugs, and Siphonarioidea, intertidal limpet-like snails with a non-contractile pneumostome (narrow opening to a vascularized pallial cavity). To clarify the evolutionary history of the panpulmonate radiation, we performed phylogenomic analyses on datasets of up to 1160 nuclear protein-coding genes for 110 gastropods, including 40 new transcriptomes for Sacoglossa and Siphonarioidea. All 18 analyses recovered Sacoglossa as the sister group to a clade we named Pneumopulmonata, within which Siphonarioidea was sister to the remaining lineages in most analyses. Comparative modelling indicated shifts to marginal habitat (estuarine, mangrove and intertidal zones) preceded and accelerated the evolution of a pneumostome, present in the pneumopulmonate ancestor along with a one-sided plicate gill. These findings highlight key intermediate stages in the evolution of air-breathing snails, supporting the hypothesis that adaptation to marginal zones played an important role in major sea-to-land transitions.
Learn about our two Decals!
Click here to find out more about our Fall Bioinspired Design Decal and our Spring Bioinspired Design in Action Decal – ALL MAJORS are welcome.
Berkeley BioDesign Community
Click here to learn about the BioD: Bio-Inspired Design @ Berkeley student organization or here to signup for more info.
Search
Student Login
I imagine that the neurological circuits underlying these processes are governed by both 2d spacing maps with their brains as…
to reduce the impact of car accidents, it may be possible to study the force diverting physics of cockroaches to…
you see this type of head-bobbing stability in many avian creatures related to pigeons like chickens. the head ability to…
not like they taught horses how to run! this is an example of convergent evolution where both sea creatures and…
The brain functions in a similar way with neuronal connections. our brains are able to utilize the multiplicity of connections…