Abstract Detail



Phylogenomics

Au, Scarlet [1], McKenzie, Patrick [1], Eaton, Deren [2].

Generation time differences amplify concatenation bias in phylogenetic inference.

Multispecies coalescent (MSC) models are parameterized with branch lengths in coalescent time units (Tc), which correspond to the probability that genealogical discordance will occur over the length of a branch. These units are in fact a compound unit (Tc = Tg / 2Ne), and can be decomposed into two factors that can be measured separately: effective population sizes (Ne) and generation times (Tg). A common assumption is that decreasing Tg or increasing Ne will have similar effects on genealogical variation, and thus most attention has focused solely on Ne. We investigate an additional and often overlooked source of biological variation, in the form of generation times (Tg), which affect the rate of recombination, and thus also the rate of concatalescence. Through the use of coalescent simulations and an empirical example, we develop new software tools for measuring variation among gene trees and demonstrate how variation in generation times may amplify the effects of concatalescence, leading to systematic biases in species tree inference.


1 - Columbia University, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Ext, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue , New York, NY, 10027, USA
2 - Columbia University, Ecology, Evolution, And Environmental Biology, 1200 Amsterdam Ave. , Schermerhorn Ext. Office 1007, New York, NY, 10027, United States

Keywords:
multispecies coalescent (MSC)
concatenation
generation times
phylogenetic inference.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PPL009
Abstract ID:754
Candidate for Awards:None


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