Essay On Morphyrna

In this article, the author, Mauro Jose Cavalcanti discusses how he conducted a thorough analysis of all the species within Sphyrna by utilizing “matrix representation with parsimony” to produce a phylogenetic supertree. In order to produce an accurate supertree, he applied morphological data regarding the evolution of the cephalofoil and he examined the likely adaptive implication of the unique hammerhead morphology. Cavalcanti discussed that the cephalofoil allows better maneuverability in the water by providing hydrodynamic lift, similar to the aerodynamic lift of an airplane cruising through the troposphere. Another hypothesis of the significance of the cephalofoil is that it potentially enhances the sensory performance of the shark by placing the spacing sensory structures at the lateral aspect of the head. The author suggested that understanding the evolution of the cephalofoil would require using morphological and molecular data in a comparative approach to generate an extensive phylogenetic analysis of Sphyrna, and ultimately a supertree. …show more content…
However, data from mtDNA sequencing suggested the opposite in that the larger body structure is primitive compared to the small body structure. The variance between the evolutionary histories determined by each form of evidence demonstrates the value of employing a comparative approach to generate an accurate phylogeny of Sphyrna. This research is relevant to my interest in the genus Sphyrna because the author is performing an extensive phylogenetic analysis of hammerhead shark species that can accurately represent their evolutionary history, as well as offer an explanation to their unique head