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Related Concept Videos

Phylogeny01:23

Phylogeny

Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire...
Phylogenetic Trees03:21

Phylogenetic Trees

Phylogenetic trees come in many forms. It matters in which sequence the organisms are arranged from the bottom to the top of the tree, but the branches can rotate at their nodes without altering the information. The lines connecting individual nodes can be straight, angled, or even curved.The length of the branches can depict time or the relative amount of change among organisms. For instance, the branch length might indicate the number of amino acid changes in the sequence that underlies the...
The Fossil Record02:56

The Fossil Record

The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
Phylogenetic Trees03:21

Phylogenetic Trees

Phylogenetic trees come in many forms. It matters in which sequence the organisms are arranged from the bottom to the top of the tree, but the branches can rotate at their nodes without altering the information. The lines connecting individual nodes can be straight, angled, or even curved.The length of the branches can depict time or the relative amount of change among organisms. For instance, the branch length might indicate the number of amino acid changes in the sequence that underlies the...
Microbial Phylogeny01:28

Microbial Phylogeny

Understanding the evolutionary relationships among microorganisms is fundamental to microbial ecology and taxonomy. Phylogenetic trees are essential tools for inferring these relationships, relying primarily on comparative analyses of molecular sequences such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. In microbial studies, these trees typically depict the evolutionary paths of diverse bacterial and archaeal species by mapping genetic differences accumulated over time.Phylogenetic trees are composed of tips,...

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Felsenstein Phylogenetic Likelihood.

David Posada1,2,3, Keith A Crandall4,5

  • 1CINBIO, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain. dposada@uvigo.es.

Journal of Molecular Evolution
|January 13, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Joseph Felsenstein's 1981 maximum likelihood (ML) method revolutionized statistical phylogenetics. This approach provides a robust framework for estimating evolutionary trees from DNA sequences, significantly advancing molecular evolution studies.

Keywords:
EvolutionMaximum likelihoodModels of nucleotide substitutionPhylogeny

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • The Journal of Molecular Evolution (JME) published Felsenstein's seminal 1981 paper on maximum likelihood (ML) for phylogenetic tree estimation.
  • This work is highly cited, underscoring its foundational role in statistical phylogenetics.
  • The paper established a tractable method for inferring evolutionary relationships from DNA sequence data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To commemorate the 50th anniversary of JME.
  • To elaborate on the significance of Felsenstein's maximum likelihood approach.
  • To highlight its impact on estimating phylogenetic trees.

Main Methods:

  • Exploration of Felsenstein's 1981 maximum likelihood (ML) methodology.
  • Review of the impact and citation count of the original publication.
  • Discussion of the approach's contribution to statistical phylogenetics.

Main Results:

  • Felsenstein's ML approach provided a statistically sound and computationally feasible method for phylogenetic inference.
  • The method has become a cornerstone in the field of molecular evolution and phylogenetics.
  • The paper's high citation rate confirms its profound influence.

Conclusions:

  • Felsenstein's ML approach is a landmark contribution to understanding evolutionary history through DNA sequence analysis.
  • The method continues to be a vital tool in modern phylogenetics.
  • The paper's legacy is central to the advancement of evolutionary studies.