Polymorphic Color Vision in Primates: Evolutionary Considerations

Abstract

A phylogenetic network is a generalization of the concept of a phylogenetic tree. In contrast to a phylogenetic tree, a phylogenetic network can show incompatible phylogenetic information on a single diagram using reticulations. Phylogenetic network methods would be helpful to analyze genes with complex evolutionary histories such as recombination, hybridization, and gene conversion. In this study, phylogenetic network analyses using mtDNAs of hominoids, OXTR genes of hominoids, and ABO genes of gibbons (three different data sets) are described with examples. Furthermore, how a recombination event is illustrated in a phylogenetic network is explained using hypothetical data. The phylogenetic network revealed the following pattern: a recombinant allele had a short external branch and was located on a diagonal with the outgroup allele and the two parental alleles were located on another diagonal with long external branches.