DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The evolutionary history of beryciforms and the contribution of signal and noise to phylogenetic inference in multi-locus datasets

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

The evolutionary pathways that culminated in the present day diversity of deep sea fishes remain poorly understood. Beryciform and stephanoberyciform fishes have successfully transitioned between near shore and deep-sea habitats multiple times over their 100 million year history. Thus, they provide an exceptional opportunity for investigating the evolutionary dynamics associated with transitions between these extreme habitats. This project will provide the most detailed phylogenetic study of this radiation to date, providing the necessary infrastructure for future investigations into the mode and tempo of diversification across deep-sea fish groups. Our utilization of these fishes as a model group for further developing phylogenetic theory also sets a new standard for the screening of molecular markers for phylogenetic experimental design. A common question in phylogenetic inference concerns the selection of genes to employ in a given study. This project will empirically depict the utility of screening markers for a given question a priori, and demonstrate the potential for incorrect, yet strongly supported, inferences when loci are not carefully scrutinized. This presents an objective metric from which to screen the utility of sequence data for a phylogenetic problem that is applicable to any taxonomic group. This project also provides training in phylogenetics, bioinformatics, and museum techniques to undergraduate students and further contributes specimens and data to museum collections and public databases.