Résumé
Classically, the mitochondrial genome is sequenced by a series of
amplicons using conserved PCR primers. Here we show how shot-gun
transcriptome sequencing can be used to obtain the complete set of
protein-coding genes from the mtDNA of four passerine bird species. With
these sequences, we address the still unresolved basal Passerida
relationships (Aves: Passeriformes). Our analysis suggests a new
hypothesis for the basal relationships of Passerida, namely a clade
grouping Sylvioidea and Passeroidea, with Paridae and Muscicapidae as
successive sister groups to this clade. This study demonstrates the
usefulness of next-generation sequencing transcriptome sequencing for
obtaining new mtDNA genomes.