Sequence Diversity at Cyt-b and Co-1 mtDNA Genes in Animal Taxa Proved Neo-Darwinism

Abstract

Nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depict the process of molecular evolution and speciation in animals. A dataset of about twenty three thousand sequences of 2 genes, Cyt-b and Co-1, among different species was analyzed at 5 taxa ranks across the Animal Kingdom. The results support the prevalence of a geographic or allopatric speciation and suggest that Darwin’s gradual evolution in animals also prevails at the molecular level. The approach suggested allows recognize the geographic and other speciation modes, using the set theory equations and genetic terms as their components. The suggested approach may solve a key problem of the Biological Species Concept, i.e. the inability of evolutionary studies to monitor the reproductive isolation among species in nature, by defining a species rank with measurable estimates of genetic parameters. Keywords: