Multiple tools on phylogenetic analyses to assess the macroevolutionary history of the Carditidae as an example for the study of fossil and living bivalve evolution

PEREZ, DAMIÁN EDUARDO

New York

Congreso; 1st Meeting of Systematics, Biogeography and Evolution; 2020

Carditidae is a highly speciose and poorly known family of non-siphonated bivalves that probably appeared in the Triassic with a sparse Mesozoic record, followed by a specific diversity expansion during the Cenozoic and being less represented in Recent times. Scarcity of knowledge on this family is probably a consequence of a combination of high intraspecific variation, presence of ontogenetic changes and sexual dimorphism in several species. The use of several tools based on quantitative phylogenetic systematics help to shed light to the evolutionary history of this group. These tools include accurate character definition, sampling and scoring; multiple phylogenetic searches strategies; time calibration; disparity, phylomorphospaces and evolutionary rate analyses; phylogenetic signal of characters and ancestral character reconstruction). Heterochronic patterns and possible events are also studied to build a more complete understanding of the history of the group. Also, these approaches can be useful for the study of other bivalve lineages.