Biyang Xu, Lingfeng Kong, Jin Sun, Junlong Zhang, Yang Zhang, Hao Song, Qi Li, Juan E Uribe, Kenneth M Halanych, Chenyang Cai, Yun-Wei Dong, Shi Wang, Yuanning Li
{"title":"Molluscan systematics: historical perspectives and the way ahead.","authors":"Biyang Xu, Lingfeng Kong, Jin Sun, Junlong Zhang, Yang Zhang, Hao Song, Qi Li, Juan E Uribe, Kenneth M Halanych, Chenyang Cai, Yun-Wei Dong, Shi Wang, Yuanning Li","doi":"10.1111/brv.13157","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mollusca, the second-most diverse animal phylum, is estimated to have over 100,000 living species with great genetic and phenotypic diversity, a rich fossil record, and a considerable evolutionary significance. Early work on molluscan systematics was grounded in morphological and anatomical studies. With the transition from oligo gene Sanger sequencing to cutting-edge genomic sequencing technologies, molecular data has been increasingly utilised, providing abundant information for reconstructing the molluscan phylogenetic tree. However, relationships among and within most major lineages of Mollusca have long been contentious, often due to limited genetic markers, insufficient taxon sampling and phylogenetic conflict. Fortunately, remarkable progress in molluscan systematics has been made in recent years, which has shed light on how major molluscan groups have evolved. In this review of molluscan systematics, we first synthesise the current understanding of the molluscan Tree of Life at higher taxonomic levels. We then discuss how micromolluscs, which have adult individuals with a body size smaller than 5 mm, offer unique insights into Mollusca's vast diversity and deep phylogeny. Despite recent advancements, our knowledge of molluscan systematics and phylogeny still needs refinement. Further advancements in molluscan systematics will arise from integrating comprehensive data sets, including genome-scale data, exceptional fossils, and digital morphological data (including internal structures). Enhanced access to these data sets, combined with increased collaboration among morphologists, palaeontologists, evolutionary developmental biologists, and molecular phylogeneticists, will significantly advance this field.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":11.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biological Reviews","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13157","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Mollusca, the second-most diverse animal phylum, is estimated to have over 100,000 living species with great genetic and phenotypic diversity, a rich fossil record, and a considerable evolutionary significance. Early work on molluscan systematics was grounded in morphological and anatomical studies. With the transition from oligo gene Sanger sequencing to cutting-edge genomic sequencing technologies, molecular data has been increasingly utilised, providing abundant information for reconstructing the molluscan phylogenetic tree. However, relationships among and within most major lineages of Mollusca have long been contentious, often due to limited genetic markers, insufficient taxon sampling and phylogenetic conflict. Fortunately, remarkable progress in molluscan systematics has been made in recent years, which has shed light on how major molluscan groups have evolved. In this review of molluscan systematics, we first synthesise the current understanding of the molluscan Tree of Life at higher taxonomic levels. We then discuss how micromolluscs, which have adult individuals with a body size smaller than 5 mm, offer unique insights into Mollusca's vast diversity and deep phylogeny. Despite recent advancements, our knowledge of molluscan systematics and phylogeny still needs refinement. Further advancements in molluscan systematics will arise from integrating comprehensive data sets, including genome-scale data, exceptional fossils, and digital morphological data (including internal structures). Enhanced access to these data sets, combined with increased collaboration among morphologists, palaeontologists, evolutionary developmental biologists, and molecular phylogeneticists, will significantly advance this field.
期刊介绍:
Biological Reviews is a scientific journal that covers a wide range of topics in the biological sciences. It publishes several review articles per issue, which are aimed at both non-specialist biologists and researchers in the field. The articles are scholarly and include extensive bibliographies. Authors are instructed to be aware of the diverse readership and write their articles accordingly.
The reviews in Biological Reviews serve as comprehensive introductions to specific fields, presenting the current state of the art and highlighting gaps in knowledge. Each article can be up to 20,000 words long and includes an abstract, a thorough introduction, and a statement of conclusions.
The journal focuses on publishing synthetic reviews, which are based on existing literature and address important biological questions. These reviews are interesting to a broad readership and are timely, often related to fast-moving fields or new discoveries. A key aspect of a synthetic review is that it goes beyond simply compiling information and instead analyzes the collected data to create a new theoretical or conceptual framework that can significantly impact the field.
Biological Reviews is abstracted and indexed in various databases, including Abstracts on Hygiene & Communicable Diseases, Academic Search, AgBiotech News & Information, AgBiotechNet, AGRICOLA Database, GeoRef, Global Health, SCOPUS, Weed Abstracts, and Reaction Citation Index, among others.