Moore, Jenna M. (2019). Phylogeny, systematics, and evolution of functional morphology in Chaetopteridae (Annelida). [unpublished thesis]. Ph. D. thesis, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1-304.

490271

Moore, Jenna M.

2019

Ph. D. thesis, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1-304

Publication

https://original-ufdc.uflib.ufl.edu/UFE0055997/00001

Annelidabase

The origin and evolutionary consequences of morphological complexity and major changes in body plan are key macroevolutionary problems in the study of metazoan diversity. Among segmented phyla, much is known about the morphological evolution of chordates and arthropods; however, annelids remain understudied in this regard. Chaetopteridae, an unusual family of suspension-feeding marine worms, have regional segmental specialization similar to that of arthropods. While their phylogeny and systematics are poorly resolved, their unique morphological features make them an ideal model system for exploring body plan evolution in Annelida. In Chapter 2, we assess the systematic relationships of chaetopterid genera using a phylogeny based on three genes and morphological cladistic analysis of 43 characters. The results support the reciprocal monophyly and sister group relationship of Chaetopterus and Mesochaetopterus. These genera are sister to a poorly supported clade including paraphyletic and polyphyletic Phyllochaetopterus and Spiochaetopterus. We propose a reduced definition of Phyllochaetopterus; however, the tree topology is not sufficiently stable for confident revisionary systematics. In Chapter 3, we use a targeted exon-capture, next-generation sequencing approach to generate a robust phylogeny for the family and investigate the evolution of feeding mode-associated morphological characters. We modify a tagmosis metric originally developed for arthropods and reconstruct the evolution of tagmosis in chaetopterids. Phylogenetic analyses recover a congruent, well-supported tree topology. Chaetopterus and Mesochaetopterus are reciprocally monophyletic sister groups and are in turn sister to a polyphyletic Spiochaetopterus and Phyllochaetopterus. A comparison of functionally analogous structures across the major chaetopterid lineages and a consideration of larval morphology leads to new hypotheses concerning segmental homologies within the family and revision of the body region nomenclature used for Chaetopterus. In Chapter 4, we revise the genus Chaetopterus based on phylogenetic and morphological evidence. All of the species in the genus described before 2000 have been synonymized with Chaetopterus variopedatus at one time or another, and the current taxonomy grossly underestimates the diversity of the genus. The number of valid species in the genus is increased from 17 to 25, and erroneous synonymies are revised. The identity of a species extensively used as a developmental model organism is revealed.

America, North

Systematics, Taxonomy

Annelida
Polychaeta

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