Undersampling taxa will underestimate molecular divergence dates: an example from the South american lizard clade liolaemini.

ABSTRACT: Methods for estimating divergence times from molecular data have improved dramatically over the past decade, yet there are few studies examining alternative taxon sampling effects on node age estimates. Here, I investigate the effect of undersampling species diversity on node ages of the South American lizard clade Liolaemini using several alternative subsampling strategies for both time calibrations and taxa numbers. Penalized likelihood (PL) and Bayesian molecular dating analyses were conducted on a densely sampled (202 taxa) mtDNA-based phylogenetic hypothesis of Iguanidae, including 92 Liolaemini species. Using all calibrations and penalized likelihood, clades with very low taxon sampling had node age estimates younger than clades with more complete taxon sampling. The effect of Bayesi

SUBMITTER: Schulte JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3809987 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature