Project Description
Only a few of the myriad biological groups now thriving on this planet have fossil records that chronicle their evolutionary past. One of these few is Mammalia, known from about 5,000 extant species distributed among 1135 living genera, including our own human lineage, and more than 4,000 extinct genera, a four-to-one ratio of fossil genera to living genera that can hardly be matched elsewhere in the biota. Mammals display a spectacular range in size, form, and adaptations. They are closely linked to human health, welfare, and experience. No tree of all life could be regarded as complete without a comprehensive phylogeny of Mammalia. This conviction has inspired a surge of work in paleontology, comparative anatomy, and molecular biology. Despite these significant gains, many aspects of mammalian phylogeny are unresolved or highly controversial, even at some of the major branching points on the mammalian tree. PIs propose to examine species exemplars for 135 extant families, the majority of some 350 extinct families, and to extend this sample to a generic-level data set of 500 extant and nearly 500 extinct genera for combined analysis of genes and morphology. Their molecular team will continue to sample taxa toward a goal of covering 95% of all living genera outside the murids (rats, mice, and kin) and sciurids (squirrels). For character evidence, PIs plan to sample 30Kb in gene sequences from 34 genes for at least one exemplar of all living families. For the larger generic-level phases of the project, they will sample at least 6Kb of sequence. Morphologists will collect a projected 2,000 characters. Completion of a broad scale phylogeny for mammals will provide a model system in evolutionary and comparative biology with numerous applications in conservation and wildlife management, human health, biomedicine, and other areas. In addition, PIs intend to compile an integrated and image rich database for mammalian characters and convert it into a powerful toolkit for conservation management, education, and outreach through training programs and web resources.
