Book contents
- The Origin and Early Evolutionary History of Snakes
- The Systematics Association Special Volume Series
- The Origin and Early Evolutionary History of Snakes
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The Squamate and Snake Fossil Record
- Part II Palaeontology and the Marine-Origin Hypothesis
- Part III Genomic Perspectives
- 10 Using Comparative Genomics to Resolve the Origin and Early Evolution of Snakes
- 11 The Evolution of Squamate Chitinase Genes (CHIAs) Supports an Insectivory–Carnivory Transition during the Early History of Snakes
- 12 Origin and Early Diversification of the Enigmatic Squamate Venom Cocktail
- Part IV Neurobiological Perspectives
- Part V Anatomical and Functional Morphological Perspectives
- Index
- Series page
- References
10 - Using Comparative Genomics to Resolve the Origin and Early Evolution of Snakes
from Part III - Genomic Perspectives
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 July 2022
- The Origin and Early Evolutionary History of Snakes
- The Systematics Association Special Volume Series
- The Origin and Early Evolutionary History of Snakes
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The Squamate and Snake Fossil Record
- Part II Palaeontology and the Marine-Origin Hypothesis
- Part III Genomic Perspectives
- 10 Using Comparative Genomics to Resolve the Origin and Early Evolution of Snakes
- 11 The Evolution of Squamate Chitinase Genes (CHIAs) Supports an Insectivory–Carnivory Transition during the Early History of Snakes
- 12 Origin and Early Diversification of the Enigmatic Squamate Venom Cocktail
- Part IV Neurobiological Perspectives
- Part V Anatomical and Functional Morphological Perspectives
- Index
- Series page
- References
Summary
Despite recent advances, key events in snake evolution have remained difficult to resolve, including their position in the squamate tree and several ingroup relationships. Comparative genomics has unrealised potential for phylogenetic inference and may advance understanding of snake evolution. This chapter reviews the history of snake molecular phylogenetics up to the current genomics revolution. This work has often corroborated phylogenetic inferences from morphology but also discovered relationships not previously considered or supported. We discuss properties of snake nuclear genomes, considering their potential for phylogenetic inference. Using data from 30 available squamate genomes, we provide preliminary examples applying both cumulative and non-cumulative frequency coding to genome size, GC content, and 14 repetitive element characteristics. Cumulative frequency coding outperforms non-cumulative coding and recovers most, but not all, well-known snake clades. We describe how the relationships of some snake lineages remains poorly supported despite their inclusion in large genomic-scale datasets, and suggest possible avenues of future research using comparative genomics.
- Type
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- Information
- The Origin and Early Evolutionary History of Snakes , pp. 209 - 234Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022