Calibration of the Molecular Clock of evolution in Harp Seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus)
Calibration of the clock for
Homo sapiens and close relatives (H. sapiens
neandertalensis and H. sapiens denisova) over the
last 1 MYBP used well-dated fossils and measured genetic
differences. These included divergence of the oldest lineages
among living humans (Southern African L1 vs everyone
else) and the inclusive European (N) and non-European (M)
lineages "Out of Africa."
There is no reliable fossil record for divergences within Pagophilus, or among Phocid (earless) seal species.The Homo data provide a "clock" for the last 200 KYBP, during which the divergence of Harp Seal lineages has occurred. Note again the divergence of the ABC vs DE lineages at ca. 130 KYBP, during the Sangamon inter-glacial. The oldest F lineage is found predominantly in White Sea populations, at the extreme limit of the eastern range.
There is no reliable fossil record for divergences within Pagophilus, or among Phocid (earless) seal species.The Homo data provide a "clock" for the last 200 KYBP, during which the divergence of Harp Seal lineages has occurred. Note again the divergence of the ABC vs DE lineages at ca. 130 KYBP, during the Sangamon inter-glacial. The oldest F lineage is found predominantly in White Sea populations, at the extreme limit of the eastern range.