Constraining uncertainty in the timescale of angiosperm evolution and the veracity of a Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution.

ABSTRACT: Through the lens of the fossil record, angiosperm diversification precipitated a Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution (KTR) in which pollinators, herbivores and predators underwent explosive co-diversification. Molecular dating studies imply that early angiosperm evolution is not documented in the fossil record. This mismatch remains controversial. We used a Bayesian molecular dating method to analyse a dataset of 83 genes from 644 taxa and 52 fossil calibrations to explore the effect of different interpretations of the fossil record, molecular clock models, data partitioning, among other factors, on angiosperm divergence time estimation. Controlling for different sources of uncertainty indicates that the timescale of angiosperm diversification is much less certain than previous molecular dat

SUBMITTER: Barba-Montoya J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6055841 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature