CBCB scientists Michael Cummings, Adam Bazinet, and Jessica Goodheart publish a paper in Royal Society Open Science that provides a well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis for Cladobranchia

Cladobranchia (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) is a diverse (approx. 1000 species) but understudied group of sea slug molluscs. In order to fully comprehend the diversity of nudibranchs and the evolution of character traits within Cladobranchia, a solid understanding of evolutionary relationships is necessary.

CBCB faculty Michael Cummings, CBCB postdoctoral associate Adam Bazinet, and lead author and CBCB doctoral student Jessica Goodheart published a cover paper titled “Relationships within Cladobranchia (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) based on RNA-Seq data: an initial investigation” on Sept. 23, 2015 in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

In this paper, they address some of the long-standing issues regarding the evolutionary history of Cladobranchia using RNA-Seq data (transcriptomes). Their data provides a well-supported and almost fully resolved phylogenetic hypothesis for Cladobranchia. Their results support the monophyly of Cladobranchia and the sub-clade Aeolidida, but reject the monophyly of Dendronotida.

“Relationships within Cladobranchia (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia) based on RNA-Seq data: an initial investigation” article: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/9/150196