Do phylogenomic analyses reveal a molecular signature linked to subterranean adaptation in rodents?
Our study reveals a case of subterranean convergent evolution in rodents that is correlated with change in the pace and mode of molecular evolution observed at the genome scale. We believe that this genomic signature could have also evolved in other cases of subterranean convergence. Additionally, the genes that displayed the most radical changes in their patterns of evolution and their associated GO categories provide a strong basis for further comparative and functional studies, and potentially reveal molecular signatures of adaptation to subterranean life.
The histological assessment of the number of glomerular generations in kidney can be used as a reliable method of estimating fetal age.