Sources of Signal in 62 Protein-Coding Nuclear Genes for Higher-Level Phylogenetics of Arthropods
Author Information
Author(s): Jerome C. Regier, Andreas Zwick
Primary Institution: University of Maryland
Hypothesis
This study aims to investigate the strength of various sources of phylogenetic information that led to recent seemingly robust conclusions about higher-level arthropod phylogeny.
Conclusion
Generating a robust molecular higher-level phylogeny of Arthropoda is currently possible with large amounts of data and an exclusive reliance on nonsynonymous change.
Supporting Evidence
- Gene segments analyzed individually support numerous nodes recovered in combined-gene analyses.
- Clusters of genes with similar nonsynonymous rate properties show distinct patterns of node support.
- Data set partitioning improves overall node support but remains inferior to analysis of nonsynonymous change alone.
Takeaway
Scientists studied many genes to understand how different types of changes in DNA help us figure out the family tree of bugs and other small animals.
Methodology
The study analyzes DNA sequences from 68 gene segments of 62 distinct protein-coding nuclear genes for 80 species.
Potential Biases
There is a risk that synonymous changes may introduce bias and misinform phylogenetic conclusions.
Limitations
The study's conclusions are sensitive to the amount of data used, and some nodes with high bootstrap support may not be as robust with less data.
Participant Demographics
The study includes 80 species from various arthropod lineages.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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