Evolution of the Cetartiodactyla: Phylogeny, life history and conservation

Using the supertree approach of matrix representation with parsimony I present the first phylogeny to include all 290 extant species of the Cetartiodactyla (even-toed hoofed mammals and whales). At the family-level the supertree is fully resolved and supports the hypothesis that the whales and dolphins are nested within the even-toed hoofed mammals as sister-taxon to the hippopotamidae. I use the phylogeny as a statistical framework to control for the effects of shared evolutionary history on cross-species analyses of cetacean life history strategies and artiodactyl extinction risk.; Cetacea are a Glade of charastimatic mammals but their biology is poorly known; cetaceans are difficult to study due to the inaccessible nature of their habitats, their large size and long lives. Understanding the interrelationships among life history traits is not only important for the better understanding of cetacean biology and ecology but it is also the first step to understanding the action of natural selection upon those traits. Cetaceans follow general mammalian life history strategies with some interesting deviations; none of the cetacean reproductive traits are phylogenetically patterned and the amount of variance explained by body size allometry in those traits is exceedingly low.; With over half of all artiodactyl species are threatened with extinction it is important to understand the biological processes underlying species extinction. I present a multivariate model to assess for the first time which intrinsic (biological) and extrinsic (anthropogenic and environmental) factors influence variation in extinction risk. Species hunted for bushmeat in Africa are more susceptible to extinction via hunting if they have slower reproductive rates. In contrast, species primarily affected by habitat loss are vulnerable to extinction if they are rare as reflected by small geographic ranges or low population densities.