iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.
iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.



Link to original content: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7937906/
Molecules vs. morphology in avian evolution: the case of the "pelecaniform" birds - PubMed Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 1994 Oct 11;91(21):9861-5.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.21.9861.

Molecules vs. morphology in avian evolution: the case of the "pelecaniform" birds

S B Hedges  1 , C G Sibley
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Molecules vs. morphology in avian evolution: the case of the "pelecaniform" birds

S B Hedges et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

The traditional avian Order Pelecaniformes is composed of birds with all four toes connected by a web. This "totipalmate" condition is found in ca. 66 living species: 8 pelicans (Pelecanus), 9 boobies and gannets (Sula, Papasula, Morus), ca. 37 cormorants (Phalacrocorax), 4 anhingas or darters (Anhinga), 5 frigatebirds (Fregata), and 3 tropicbirds (Phaethon). Several additional characters are shared by these genera, and their monophyly has been assumed since the beginning of modern zoological nomenclature. Most ornithologists classify these genera as an order, although tropicbirds have been viewed as related to terns, and frigatebirds as relatives of the petrels and albatrosses. DNA.DNA hybridization data indicated that the pelicans are most closely related to the Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), a stork-like bird that lives in the swamps of central Africa; the boobies, gannets, cormorants, and anhingas form a closely related cluster; the tropicbirds are not closely related to the other taxa; and the frigatebirds are closest to the penguins, loons, petrels, shearwaters, and albatrosses (Procellarioidea). Most of these results are corroborated by DNA sequences of the 12S and 16S rRNA mitochondrial genes, and they provide another example of incongruence between classifications derived from morphological versus genetic traits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Aug;86(16):6196-200 - PubMed
    1. Comput Appl Biosci. 1989 Jul;5(3):233-4 - PubMed
    1. J Mol Evol. 1991 Feb;32(2):153-61 - PubMed
    1. Mol Biol Evol. 1987 Jul;4(4):406-25 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 May 24;91(11):5173-7 - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources