Molecular estimates of primate divergences and new hypotheses for primate dispersal and the origin of modern humans - PubMed

Molecular estimates of primate divergences and new hypotheses for primate dispersal and the origin of modern humans

U Arnason et al. Hereditas. 2000.

Free article

Abstract

The concept of recent hominoid divergences has been a mainstay in molecular primatology since the 1970's. However, the ages allocated to the calibration points used to establish these divergence times and the estimates resulting from their application, notably the commonly accepted divergence between Pan (chimpanzees) and Homo 5 million years before present (MYBP), are now palaeontologically refutable. Here we estimate the ages of various primate divergences using three references with a more detailed fossil record than any of the traditional primate calibration points. Our findings suggest that the latter yield datings that are too recent by a factor of about two. For example, our estimates place the divergence between Pan and Homo 10.5-13 MYBP. The revised estimates of primate divergence times suggest a new hypothesis for primate evolution and dispersal: that the divergence between strepsirhines (lorises, lemurs) and anthropoids was contemporary with the break-up of Southern continents about 90 MYBP, with strepsirhines becoming isolated on Madagascar and later dispersing to Africa (and Asia) and anthropoids evolving in South America and subsequently colonizing Africa (and Asia), or possibly North America. In addition we present a new hypothesis, which accommodates the strikingly similar coalescence times for human mitochondrial DNA and the Y-chromosome. This hypothesis posits a common mitochondrial and Y-chromosome bottleneck about 400,000 years ago, associated with the origination of the human 2n = 46 karyotype, obstructing genetic exchange with the 2n = 48 Homo contemporaries.

Similar articles

• Molecular timing of primate divergences as estimated by two nonprimate calibration points.

  Arnason U, Gullberg A, Janke A. Arnason U, et al. J Mol Evol. 1998 Dec;47(6):718-27. doi: 10.1007/pl00006431. J Mol Evol. 1998. PMID: 9847414

• Pattern and timing of evolutionary divergences among hominoids based on analyses of complete mtDNAs.

  Arnason U, Gullberg A, Janke A, Xu X. Arnason U, et al. J Mol Evol. 1996 Dec;43(6):650-61. doi: 10.1007/BF02202113. J Mol Evol. 1996. PMID: 8995062

• Catarrhine primate divergence dates estimated from complete mitochondrial genomes: concordance with fossil and nuclear DNA evidence.

  Raaum RL, Sterner KN, Noviello CM, Stewart CB, Disotell TR. Raaum RL, et al. J Hum Evol. 2005 Mar;48(3):237-57. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.11.007. Epub 2005 Jan 20. J Hum Evol. 2005. PMID: 15737392 Review.

• Mitogenomic analyses of eutherian relationships.

  Arnason U, Janke A. Arnason U, et al. Cytogenet Genome Res. 2002;96(1-4):20-32. doi: 10.1159/000063023. Cytogenet Genome Res. 2002. PMID: 12438776

• Primate phylogeny: morphological vs. molecular results.

  Shoshani J, Groves CP, Simons EL, Gunnell GF. Shoshani J, et al. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 1996 Feb;5(1):102-54. doi: 10.1006/mpev.1996.0009. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 1996. PMID: 8673281 Review.

Cited by

• Evolution of base-substitution gradients in primate mitochondrial genomes.

  Raina SZ, Faith JJ, Disotell TR, Seligmann H, Stewart CB, Pollock DD. Raina SZ, et al. Genome Res. 2005 May;15(5):665-73. doi: 10.1101/gr.3128605. Genome Res. 2005. PMID: 15867428 Free PMC article.

• Genera of the human lineage.

  Cela-Conde CJ, Ayala FJ. Cela-Conde CJ, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Jun 24;100(13):7684-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0832372100. Epub 2003 Jun 6. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003. PMID: 12794185 Free PMC article.

• Malarial parasite diversity in chimpanzees: the value of comparative approaches to ascertain the evolution of Plasmodium falciparum antigens.

  Pacheco MA, Cranfield M, Cameron K, Escalante AA. Pacheco MA, et al. Malar J. 2013 Sep 17;12:328. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-12-328. Malar J. 2013. PMID: 24044371 Free PMC article.

• Mammalian mitogenomic relationships and the root of the eutherian tree.

  Arnason U, Adegoke JA, Bodin K, Born EW, Esa YB, Gullberg A, Nilsson M, Short RV, Xu X, Janke A. Arnason U, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Jun 11;99(12):8151-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.102164299. Epub 2002 May 28. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002. PMID: 12034869 Free PMC article.

• Two hundred and five newly assembled mitogenomes provide mixed evidence for rivers as drivers of speciation for Amazonian primates.

  Janiak MC, Silva FE, Beck RMD, de Vries D, Kuderna LFK, Torosin NS, Melin AD, Marquès-Bonet T, Goodhead IB, Messias M, da Silva MNF, Sampaio I, Farias IP, Rossi R, de Melo FR, Valsecchi J, Hrbek T, Boubli JP. Janiak MC, et al. Mol Ecol. 2022 Jul;31(14):3888-3902. doi: 10.1111/mec.16554. Epub 2022 Jun 20. Mol Ecol. 2022. PMID: 35638312 Free PMC article.

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Wiley