Mass estimation of extinct taxa and phylogenetic hypotheses both influence analyses of character evolution in a large clade of birds (Telluraves).

ABSTRACT: Incorporating extinct taxa in phylogenetic comparative methods is rapidly becoming invaluable in studies of character evolution. An increasing number of studies have evaluated the effects of extinct taxa, and different numbers of extinct taxa, on model selection and parameter estimation. Body mass is a well-studied phenotype, but individual mass estimates may vary dramatically depending on the particular measurement used. Here, we perform an analysis of body mass evolution in a large clade of principally arboreal birds, incorporating 76 extinct species. We evaluate how different methods for estimating body mass of extinct taxa, and different phylogenetic hypotheses, affect our understanding of the rate and pattern of body mass evolution. Our results show that model selection can vary drama

SUBMITTER: Crouch NMA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6939909 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature