HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (18) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Dahlgren, T. G. Articles by Sundberg, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Dahlgren, T. G. Articles by Sundberg, P. Related Collections Evolution Annelids Reproduction Systematics

Molecular Phylogeny of the Model Annelid Ophryotrocha

¹ Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biology Department, MS 33, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
² Göteborg University, Department of Zoology, Box 463, 405 90 Göteborg, Sweden
³ University of Copenhagen, Arctic Station, Box 504, DK-3953 Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: tdahlgren{at}whoi.edu

Annelids of the genus Ophryotrocha are small opportunistic worms commonly found in polluted and nutrient-rich habitats such as harbors. Within this small group of about 40 described taxa a large variety of reproductive strategies are found, ranging from gonochoristic broadcast spawners to sequential hermaphroditic brooders. Many of the species have a short generation time and are easily maintained as laboratory cultures. Thus they have become a popular system for exploring a variety of biological questions including developmental genetics, ethology, and sexual selection. Despite considerable behavioral, reproductive, and karyological studies, a phylogenetic framework is lacking because most taxa are morphologically similar. In this study we use 16S mitochondrial gene sequence data to infer the phylogeny of Ophryotrocha strains commonly used in the laboratory. The resulting mtDNA topologies are generally well resolved and support a genetic split between hermaphroditic and gonochoristic species. Although the ancestral state could not be unambiguously identified, a change in reproductive strategy (i.e., hermaphroditism and gonochorism) occurred once within Ophryotrocha. Additionally, we show that sequential hermaphroditism evolved from a simultaneous hermaphroditic ancestor, and that characters previously used in phylogenetic reconstruction (i.e., jaw morphology and shape of egg mass) are homoplasic within the group.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. M. Halanych and A. M. Janosik A review of molecular markers used for Annelid phylogenetics Integr. Comp. Biol., August 1, 2006; 46(4): 533 - 543. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Weinberg, T. G. Dahlgren, N. Trowbridge, and K. M. Halanych Genetic Differences Within and Between Species of Deep-Sea Crabs (Chaceon) From the North Atlantic Ocean Biol. Bull., June 1, 2003; 204(3): 318 - 326. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]