A Bayesian Approach for Inferring the Impact of a Discrete Character on Rates of Continuous-Character Evolution in the Presence of Background-Rate Variation.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how and why rates of character evolution vary across the Tree of Life is central to many evolutionary questions; for example, does the trophic apparatus (a set of continuous characters) evolve at a higher rate in fish lineages that dwell in reef versus nonreef habitats (a discrete character)? Existing approaches for inferring the relationship between a discrete character and rates of continuous-character evolution rely on comparing a null model (in which rates of continuous-character evolution are constant across lineages) to an alternative model (in which rates of continuous-character evolution depend on the state of the discrete character under consideration). However, these approaches are susceptible to a "straw-man" effect: the influence of the discrete character is infla

SUBMITTER: May MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7608729 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature