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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

In Situ Hybridization Techniques for Paraffin-Embedded Adult Coral Samples
07:24

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Modelling rate distributions using character compatibility: implications for morphological evolution among fossil

Peter J Wagner1

  • 1National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA. wagnerpj@si.edu

Biology Letters
|July 29, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Lognormal distributions better explain morphological evolution rates than gamma distributions. This finding, based on invertebrate data, suggests hierarchical integration influences character evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Systematics
  • Phylogenetics

Background:

  • Rate distributions are crucial for understanding morphological evolution and phylogeny.
  • Molecular systematists commonly use gamma distributions for evolutionary rates.
  • Morphological change involves multiple processes and hierarchical integration, suggesting lognormal distributions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the best model (single-rate, gamma, or lognormal) for character change rates in invertebrates.
  • To evaluate the fit of different rate distribution models to empirical data.

Main Methods:

  • An inverse modeling approach was used.
  • Character compatibility data from 115 invertebrate groups were analyzed.
  • Single-rate, gamma, and lognormal models were compared.

Main Results:

  • The single-rate model was rejected for most invertebrate groups.
  • Lognormal distributions provided a better fit than gamma distributions for character change rates.
  • Lognormal distributions significantly outperformed gamma for state derivation rates.

Conclusions:

  • Lognormal rate distributions are more appropriate for modeling morphological evolution than gamma distributions.
  • Hierarchical integration appears to be a significant factor in morphological character evolution.