Ancient DNA clarifies the evolutionary history of American Late Pleistocene equids.
Abstract: Hippidions are past members of the equid lineage which appeared in the South American fossil record around 2.5 Ma but then became extinct during the great late Pleistocene megafaunal extinction. According to fossil records and numerous dental, cranial, and postcranial characters, Hippidion and Equus lineages were expected to cluster in two distinct phylogenetic groups that diverged at least 10 MY, long before the emergence of the first Equus. However, the first DNA sequence information retrieved from Hippidion fossils supported a striking different phylogeny, with hippidions nesting inside a paraphyletic group of Equus. This result indicated either that the currently accepted phylogenetic tree of equids was incorrect regarding the timing of the evolutionary split between Hippidion and Equus or that the taxonomic identification of the hippidion fossils used for DNA analysis needed to be reexamined (and attributed to another extinct South American member of the equid lineage). The most likely candidate for the latter explanation is Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus. Here, we show by retrieving new ancient mtDNA sequences that hippidions and Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus were members of two distinct lineages. Furthermore, using a rigorous phylogenetic approach, we demonstrate that while formerly the largest equid from Southern America, Equus (Amerhippus) was just a member of the species Equus caballus. This new data increases the known phenotypic plasticity of horses and consequently casts doubt on the taxonomic validity of the subgenus Equus (Amerhippus).
Publication Date: 2008-04-09 PubMed ID: 18398561DOI: 10.1007/s00239-008-9100-xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research focuses on the evolutionary history of ancient South American horses known as “Hippidions,” providing evidence that Hippidion and Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus constituted distinct evolutionary lineages, and the latter is most likely part of the species Equus caballus.
Introduction and Background
- The research examines the evolutionary history of two prehistoric South American horses, the Hippidions, and the Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus.
- The Hippidion first appeared on the South American fossil record about 2.5 million years ago (Ma) but then went extinct during the great late Pleistocene megafaunal extinction.
- Previous research had grouped Hippidion and Equus into two distinct phylogenetic groups believed to have diverged about ten million years (MY) ago.
The Phylogeny Challenge
- Previous DNA evidence suggested a different phylogenetic tree, with Hippidion appearing within a paraphyletic group of Equus, sparking a revaluation of the phylogenetic tree of equids
- This result pointed to two possibilities: Either the previously accepted tree of equids was incorrect in regards to the timing of Hippidion and Equus divergence, or the hippidion fossils used for DNA analysis were incorrectly identified and actually belonged to another extinct South American member of the equid lineage, likely Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus.
New Ancient DNA Evidence
- The researchers approached this conundrum by retrieving new ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from the fossils.
- The new ancient mtDNA sequences revealed that the Hippidions and Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus were indeed members of two distinct evolutionary lineages, confirming the initial phylogenetic division based on dental, cranial and postcranial characters.
Further Phylogenetic Findings
- Applying a rigorous phylogenetic approach, the research further demonstrated that Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus was, in fact, a member of the species Equus caballus, which was the largest equid from Southern America.
- This discovery challenges the taxonomic validity of the subgenus Equus (Amerhippus) and increases the known phenotypic plasticity of horses.
Implications of the Study
- The findings from the study contribute to a better understanding of horse evolution and the evolution of equids in general.
- This research also has implications for how scientists carry out taxonomical categorizations based on morphological resemblances, given the revealed phenotypic plasticity of horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Orlando L, Male D, Alberdi MT, Prado JL, Prieto A, Cooper A, Hänni C.
(2008).
Ancient DNA clarifies the evolutionary history of American Late Pleistocene equids.
J Mol Evol, 66(5), 533-538.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-008-9100-x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Université de Lyon, Paleogenetics and Molecular Evolution, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242 - INRA - Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Lyon Cedex 07, France. ludovic.orlando@ens-lyon.fr
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- DNA, Mitochondrial / chemistry
- DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics
- Equidae / classification
- Equidae / genetics
- Evolution, Molecular
- Fossils
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Phylogeny
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
References
This article includes 10 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Cirilli O, Machado H, Arroyo-Cabrales J, Barrón-Ortiz CI, Davis E, Jass CN, Jukar AM, Landry Z, Marín-Leyva AH, Pandolfi L, Pushkina D, Rook L, Saarinen J, Scott E, Semprebon G, Strani F, Villavicencio NA, Kaya F, Bernor RL. Evolution of the Family Equidae, Subfamily Equinae, in North, Central and South America, Eurasia and Africa during the Plio-Pleistocene.. Biology (Basel) 2022 Aug 24;11(9).
- Delsol N, Stucky BJ, Oswald JA, Reitz EJ, Emery KF, Guralnick R. Analysis of the earliest complete mtDNA genome of a Caribbean colonial horse (Equus caballus) from 16th-century Haiti.. PLoS One 2022;17(7):e0270600.
- Heintzman PD, Zazula GD, MacPhee R, Scott E, Cahill JA, McHorse BK, Kapp JD, Stiller M, Wooller MJ, Orlando L, Southon J, Froese DG, Shapiro B. A new genus of horse from Pleistocene North America.. Elife 2017 Nov 28;6.
- Barrón-Ortiz CI, Rodrigues AT, Theodor JM, Kooyman BP, Yang DY, Speller CF. Cheek tooth morphology and ancient mitochondrial DNA of late Pleistocene horses from the western interior of North America: Implications for the taxonomy of North American Late Pleistocene Equus.. PLoS One 2017;12(8):e0183045.
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- Orlando L, Metcalf JL, Alberdi MT, Telles-Antunes M, Bonjean D, Otte M, Martin F, Eisenmann V, Mashkour M, Morello F, Prado JL, Salas-Gismondi R, Shockey BJ, Wrinn PJ, Vasil'ev SK, Ovodov ND, Cherry MI, Hopwood B, Male D, Austin JJ, Hänni C, Cooper A. Revising the recent evolutionary history of equids using ancient DNA.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009 Dec 22;106(51):21754-9.
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