Hi all,
saw the abstract for this online - pretty interesting. Has anyone got a pdf
of the full article as would love to read it..
http://www.avianbiotech.com/Research.htm
Have cut-and-pasted the abstract:
Rolf S. de Kloet, Siwo R. de Kloet
The evolution of the spindlin gene in birds: sequence analysis of an intron
of the spindlin W and Z gene reveals four major divisions of the
Psittaciformes.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2005 Sep;36(3):706-21.
ABSTRACT:The Psittaciformes (parrots, parakeets) are among the most widely
held captive birds. Yet, their evolution and their phylogenetic
relationships have been relatively little studied. This paper describes the
phylogenetic relationships between a number of Psittaciformes as derived
from the sequences of the third intron of the Z-chromosomal and
W-chromosomal spindlin genes. The Z-chromosomal sequences of the kakapo
(Strigops habroptilus), the kea (Nestor notabilis), and the kaka (Nestor
meridionalis) from New Zealand form a cluster which is the sister group to
all other Psittaciformes. The results show further that the Z-chromosomal
sequences of the other species can be divided into two groups based on the
occurrence of a sequence element ACCCT. The group with the insert (A) is
mainly from species with an Australasian geographical distribution and
includes such species as the Lories (Lorius, etc.), the budgerigar
(Melospittacus undulatus), and the rosellas (Platycercus). It also includes
the African lovebirds (Agapornidae), which are the only representative of
group A outside Australasia. Group B, without the insert, includes the
neotropical parrots and parakeets such as the amazons (Amazona, etc.), the
macaws (Ara, etc.), and the conures (Aratinga, etc.), the Australian
Cacatuini and the African species such as the African grey parrot (Psittacus
erithacus) as well as Coracopsis vasa from Madagascar and Psittrichas
fulgidus from New Guinea. The W-chromosomal sequence data show that another
division of the Psittacidae is found in the replacement of a pyrimidine-rich
segment occurring in many non-psittacines as well as the kakapo (S.
habroptilus), the kea (N. notabilis), the kaka (N. meridionalis), and the
Cacatuini by a microsatellite consisting of a variable number of TATTA
monomers in the other Psittaciformes. The results support a Gondwanan origin
of the Psittaciformes and the suggestion that paleogeographic events were a
major force in psittacine divergence.
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