Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.
▪ Abstract The reconstruction of evolutionary trees from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data is a common tool with which to infer the relationships of living organisms. The wide use of mtDNA stems from the ease of getting new sequence data for a set of orthologus genes and from the availability of many existing mtDNA sequences for a wide array of species. In this review we argue that developing a fuller understanding of the biology of mitochondria is essential for the rigorous application of mtDNA to inferences about the evolutionary history of species or populations. Though much progress has been made in understanding the parameters that shape the evolution of mitochondria and mtDNA, many questions still remain, and a better understanding of the role this organelle plays in regulating organismal fitness is becoming increasingly critical for accurate phylogeny reconstruction. In population biology, the limited information content of one nonrecombining genetic marker can compromise evolutionary inference, and the effects of nuclear genetic variation—and environmental factors—in mtDNA fitness differences can compound these problems. In systematics, the limited gene set, biased amino acid composition, and problems of compensatory substitutions can cloud phylogenetic signal. Dissecting the functional bases of these biases offers both challenges and opportunities in comparative biology.
Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics – Annual Reviews
Published: Dec 15, 2005
Read and print from thousands of top scholarly journals.
Already have an account? Log in
Bookmark this article. You can see your Bookmarks on your DeepDyve Library.
To save an article, log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
Copy and paste the desired citation format or use the link below to download a file formatted for EndNote
Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.