PHYLOGENETICS
A study by Janies (2001) [5] used molecular, morphological, and embryological analyses to determine the phylogenetic relationships of extant echinoderm classes. Results from this study suggest that sea urchins and sea cucumbers are the most closely related of the echinoderms. Furthermore, results suggest that sea lilies are the sister taxon to extant eleutherozoan classes which include sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars. There is strong support to suggest the monophyly of each class is strong. |