Evolution of Scleractinian Corals Inferred from Molecular Systematics
Romano SL and Palumbi SR. 1996. Evolution of Scleractinian Corals Inferred from Molecular Systematics. Science. 271(5249):640-645
Scleractinian corals have a continuous fossil record from the mid-Triassic, but taxonomic difficulties have impeded an understanding of their evolution. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA showed departures from previous hypotheses of coral evolution. Families clustered into two major groups that do not correspond to morphologically based suborders, These clades differed in their 16S ribosomal DNA sequence by 29.4 percent, which suggests evolutionary divergence before the appearance of scleractinian skeletons 240 multiple origins of the scleractinian skeleton, and the great morphological diversity of present-day scleractinians may be a reflection of these multiple orgins.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Romano, Sandra; Palumbi, Stephen
- Units
- SFCN
- Keywords
- 16S Ribosomal RNA, divergence, environmental variation, Fossil Records, Molecular Phylogenetic Analysis