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Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

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Phylogenetic Stability, Tree Shape, and Character Compatibility: A Case Study Using Early Tetrapods.

Massimo Bernardi¹, Kenneth D Angielczyk², Jonathan S Mitchell³

¹MUSE-Museo delle Scienze, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza, 3, 38122 Trento, Italy; School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK; massimo.bernardi@muse.it.

Systematic Biology

|June 12, 2016

Summary

Temporal constraints minimally impact tetrapod phylogeny shape, revealing evolutionary stability. The Carboniferous period, however, shows explosive tetrapod radiation and diversification shifts, particularly in terrestrialization.

Keywords:

Character compatibility Mesozoic Paleozoic diversification shifts tetrapod terrestrialization tree balance tree distance.

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Last Updated: Mar 19, 2026

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Area of Science:

Paleontology
Evolutionary Biology
Phylogenetics

Background:

Phylogenetic tree shape is influenced by changing evolutionary processes over time.
Temporal constraints can affect patterns of tree imbalance and character evolution within a clade.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine how temporal constraints manifest in phylogenetic tree imbalance and character change.
To analyze an empirical phylogeny of fossil tetrapods across different time intervals.
To assess the impact of combining extinct and extant taxa in phylogenetic analyses.

Main Methods:

Analysis of an empirical tetrapod phylogeny using a time-slice approach.
Quantification of phylogenetic tree imbalance across distinct geological time intervals.
Evaluation of character change and incompatibility rates relative to null models.

Main Results:

Temporal constraints have a minimal impact on overall tetrapod phylogeny shape, indicating temporal stability.
Significant tree imbalance in the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods supports explosive tetrapod radiation during the Carboniferous.
Early tetrapod evolution exhibited high, declining rates of homoplasy, with notable exceptions like the origin of Lissamphibia.

Conclusions:

The time-slice approach is effective for phylogenetic analysis, particularly with mixed fossil and extant data.
The Carboniferous was a critical period for tetrapod diversification and terrestrialization.
Tetrapod evolutionary history demonstrates relative stability, punctuated by periods of rapid diversification.