Community Phylogenetics: Assessing Tree Reconstruction Methods and the Utility of DNA Barcodes.

ABSTRACT: Studies examining phylogenetic community structure have become increasingly prevalent, yet little attention has been given to the influence of the input phylogeny on metrics that describe phylogenetic patterns of co-occurrence. Here, we examine the influence of branch length, tree reconstruction method, and amount of sequence data on measures of phylogenetic community structure, as well as the phylogenetic signal (Pagel's λ) in morphological traits, using Trichoptera larval communities from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. We find that model-based tree reconstruction methods and the use of a backbone family-level phylogeny improve estimations of phylogenetic community structure. In addition, trees built using the barcode region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) alone accurately predict m

SUBMITTER: Boyle EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4481530 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature