Molecular phylogenetics and temporal diversification in the genus Aeromonas based on the sequences of five housekeeping genes

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 2; p. e88805
• Main Authors: Lorén, J Gaspar, Farfán, Maribel, Fusté, M Carmen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 20.02.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aeromonas; Aeromonas - genetics; Analysis; Bacteria; Bacteris patògens; Base Sequence; Bayes Theorem; Biological evolution; Biology; Clocks & watches; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Divergence; DNA; Endangered & extinct species; Espècies (Biologia); Eukaryotes; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Extinction; Extinction, Biological; Gene sequencing; Genes; Genes, Bacterial - genetics; Genes, Essential - genetics; Genetic Speciation; Genomes; Hypotheses; Likelihood Functions; Macroevolution; Microorganisms; Models, Genetic; Molecular Sequence Data; Pathogenic bacteria; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Population genetics; Procariotes; Prokaryotes; Proteobacteria; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Speciation; Species; Species extinction; Species Specificity; Streptococcus infections; Studies; Taxonomy; Time Factors; Spain
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088805

Several approaches have been developed to estimate both the relative and absolute rates of speciation and extinction within clades based on molecular phylogenetic reconstructions of evolutionary relationships, according to an underlying model of diversification. However, the macroevolutionary models established for eukaryotes have scarcely been used with prokaryotes. We have investigated the rate and pattern of cladogenesis in the genus Aeromonas (γ-Proteobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteria) using the sequences of five housekeeping genes and an uncorrelated relaxed-clock approach. To our knowledge, until now this analysis has never been applied to all the species described in a bacterial genus and thus opens up the possibility of establishing models of speciation from sequence data commonly used in phylogenetic studies of prokaryotes. Our results suggest that the genus Aeromonas began to diverge between 248 and 266 million years ago, exhibiting a constant divergence rate through the Phanerozoic, which could be described as a pure birth process.