Visualizing differences in phylogenetic information content of alignments and distinction of three classes of long-branch effects.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Published molecular phylogenies are usually based on data whose quality has not been explored prior to tree inference. This leads to errors because trees obtained with conventional methods suppress conflicting evidence, and because support values may be high even if there is no distinct phylogenetic signal. Tools that allow an a priori examination of data quality are rarely applied.

Results

Using data from published molecular analyses on the phylogeny of crustaceans it is shown that tree topologies and popular support values do not show existing differences in data quality. To visualize variations in signal distinctness, we use network analyses based on split decomposition and split support spectra. Both methods show the same differences in data quality and the sa

SUBMITTER: Wagele JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2040160 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature