Mammalian Phylogenetic Studies

With funding from a major National Science Foundation-sponsored initiative entitled “Assembling the Tree of Life,” the Genetics Division at CRES is participating in a broad, collaborative effort involving museums and universities to define unresolved evolutionary relationships among mammalian species. Utilizing the resources of the Frozen Zoo®, DNA sequencing studies are being conducted on several hundred representative mammalian species as part of a project that includes joint evidence derived from molecular, anatomical, and paleontological studies.

Perissodactyls and primates are the principle focus of the DNA sequencing studies we are undertaking at CRES. Collaborative partners for the molecular genetics studies include highly-regarded experts at the University of California, Riverside and Texas A & M University. A significant component of this project involves public outreach and education. In collaboration with the education staff at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, educational materials for our visitors will be prepared and presented in a variety of formats. The opportunity to include scientific information about mammalian relationships and evolution to the general public through the combined visitorship at the Zoo and Park was recognized as an innovative component of this successful proposal.