Heterogeneous rates of molecular evolution among cryptic species of the ciliate morphospecies Chilodonella uncinata.

摘要: While molecular analyses have provided insight into the phylogeny of ciliates, few studies assessing intraspecific variation largely relied on just a single locus [e.g., nuclear small subunit rDNA (nSSU-rDNA) or mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I]. In this study, we characterize diversity several protein-coding genes plus both nSSU-rDNA and (mtSSU-rDNA) five isolates ciliate morphospecies Chilodonella uncinata. Although these nearly identical sequences, they differ by up to 8.0% in mtSSU-rDNA. Comparative all loci, including β-tubulin paralogs, indicate lack recombination between strains, demonstrating that C. uncinata consists multiple cryptic species. Further, there is considerable substitution rates among loci as some domains are isolates, while others 13.2% at amino acid level. Combining insights macronuclear focus with published data from micronucleus two indicates lineages able maintain highly divergent conserved within rapidly evolving germline genome.