The mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic characteristics of the Thick-billed Green-Pigeon, Treron curvirostra: the first sequence for the genus

Abstract

Members of the genus Treron (Columbidae) are widely distributed in southern Asia and the Indo-Malayan Region but their relationships are poorly understood. Better knowledge of the systematic status of this genus may help studies of historical biogeography and taxonomy. The complete mitochondrial genome of T. curvirostra was characterized, a first for the genus. It is 17,414 base pairs in length, containing two rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), and one D-loop with a primary structure that is similar to that found in most members of Columbidae. Most PCGs start with the common ATG codon but are terminated by different codons. The highest value of the Ka/Ks ratio within 13 PCGs was found in ATP8 with 0.1937, suggesting that PCGs of the mitochondrial genome tend to be conservative in Columbidae. Moreover, the phylogenetic relationships within Columbidae, which was based on sequences of 13 PCGs, showed that (T. curvirostra + Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) were clustered in one clade, suggesting a potentially close relationship between Treron and Hemiphaga. However, the monophyly of the subfamilies of Columbidae recognized by the Interagency Taxonomic Information System could not be corroborated. Hence, the position of the genus Treron in the classification of Columbidae may have to be revised.

Mitochondrial genome of the critically endangered Baer’s Pochard, Aythya baeri, and its phylogenetic relationship with other Anatidae species

“…All the sizes were within the range of avian mitochondrial genomes 21 . As with the other animals 22 , 23 , mitogenome of A. baeri displayed a typical circular structure, including 13 PCGs, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one CR (Fig. 1 ).…”

Figure 6 from: Zhao W, Liu D, Jia Q, Wu X, Zhang H (2021) Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Myrmus lateralis (Heteroptera, Rhopalidae) and its implication for phylogenetic analyses. ZooKeys 1070: 13-30. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1070.72742

“…Mitochondrial genomes are characterized by a simple structure, stable composition, conserved arrangement, maternal inheritance, and rapid evolutionary rate (Simon et al 2006;Cameron 2014;Tyagi et al 2020). Therefore, mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) have been widely used in phylogenetic analyses and studies on population genetics (Yuan et al 2015;Song et al 2019;Xu et al 2021). For most insects, the mitogenome is typically a doublestranded circular DNA molecule from 15 to 20 kb in size, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, as well as a long non-coding region, also known as the control or AT-rich region (Wolstenholme 1992;Boore 1999;da Fonseca et al 2008;Yang et al 2018).…”