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A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Heterorhabditis (Nemata: Rhabditidae) Based On Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 Dna Sequence Data, B. J. Adams, A. M. Burnell, Thomas O. Powers

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Internal transcribed spacer 1 sequences were used to infer phylogenetic relationships among 8 of the 9 described species and one putative species of the entomopathogenic nematode genus Heterorhabditis. Sequences were aligned and optimized based on pairwise genetic distance and parsimony criteria and subjected to a variety of sequence alignment parameters. Phylogenetic trees were constructed with maximum parsimony, cladistic, distance, and maximum likelihood algorithms. Our results gave strong support for four pairs of sister species, while relationships between these pairs also were resolved but less well supported. The ITS1 region of the nuclear ribosomal repeat was a reliable source of …