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Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

USING PHYLOGENETIC TREES TO STUDY SPECIATION AND EXTINCTION.

¹Rutgers University, Department of Biological Sciences, Nelson Laboratories, P.O. Box 1059, Piscataway, NJ, 08855, USA.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|June 2, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Null models help understand species diversity. A model without extinction better predicted phylogenetic tree structures than one with extinction, suggesting random speciation is key for recent diversification.

Keywords:

Coalescent extinction molecular clock null model speciation species diversity

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Last Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

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Published on: August 14, 2018

A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts

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Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group

Creating and Applying a Reference to Facilitate the Discussion and Classification of Proteins in a Diverse Group

Published on: August 16, 2017

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Computational Biology

Background:

Null models are crucial for studying species diversity.
Assessing model fit reveals insights into ecological and evolutionary forces.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how simple models of speciation and extinction predict phylogenetic tree structure.
To develop statistical tests for comparing model predictions with empirical phylogenetic data.

Main Methods:

Developed simple models of speciation and extinction.
Generated predictions for phylogenetic tree attributes (internode distances and topology).
Compared model predictions against eight empirical datasets using statistical tests.

Main Results:

A model excluding species extinction consistently produced predictions closer to observed phylogenetic trees.
The model with extinction showed poorer agreement with the data.

Conclusions:

Simple speciation-only models effectively predict key phylogenetic tree attributes.
Random speciation without extinction may be a useful framework for understanding the diversification of recent monophyletic groups.