Abstract
The availability of whole genome sequences is opening new opportunities to make progress in our understanding of the genomic bases of phenotypic diversity. It also allows non-model organisms to emerge as groups with great potential to answer questions regarding the nature of the evolutionary process. Among non-model organisms, aquatic mammals are particularly special because of the radical transformations in almost all systems during their evolutionary histories and also because of the remarkable phenotypic convergence of mammalian lineages that independently recolonized the aquatic environment. In this context, this proposal seeks to study molecular evolution of the following species: Sotalia guianensis and Pontoporia blainvillei, two marine dolphins; Sotalia fluviatilis and Inia geoffrensis, two river dolphins; and Trichechus manatus and Trichechus inunguis, a marine manatee and a riverine manatee, respectively. Using a comparative genomics approach, the whole genomes of these species will be sequenced and analyzed following two main different strategies: 1) comparison of the genomes of sister species that diverged from each other in a relatively recent time (S. guianensis x S. fluviatilis, T. manatus x T. inunguis) and in a relatively long time (I. geoffrensis x P. blainvillei); and 2) comparison of the genomes of independent lineages that occupy the same habitat (marine or riverine), to investigate whether common molecular mechanisms are responsible for convergent phenotypes. (AU)
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