EVOLUTIONARY PATTERNS AND PHYLOGENY OF TITS AND CHICKADEES (GENUS PARUS) BASED ON THE SEQUENCE OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL CYTOCHROME-B GENE

The phylogenetic relationships of seven European and three American Pa rus (Aves: Paridae) species were examined by sequencing 439 nucleotide s of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. There were 60 phylogenetical ly informative sites out of 109 variable sites. The transition/transve rsion ratios varied from 0.91 to 6.5 between the species pairs and the Kimura's two parameter distances from 0.02 to 0.13. Subgenus Poecile consists of two clades, one with Parus cinctus, P. carolinensis and P. atricapillus and the other with P. palustris and P. montanus. P. ater and P. cristatus are grouped together in a DNA-parsimony tree but not in the neighbor joining tree. These two species share an unusual dele tion of glycine 167. P. major and P. caeruleus are the closest species pair in this study. Our results confirm the recent proposition of pla cing them into one subgenus, instead of two. A new nuclear copy of the cytochrome b gene (sharing 63% homology to the mitochondrial cytochro me b gene) was found from P. montanus and P. atricapillus. This pseudo gene is of very ancient origin.