Phylogenomic conflict coincides with rapid morphological innovation

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Biology
• Phylogenomics
• Macroevolution

Background:

• Episodes of rapid phenotypic innovation are key to the emergence of major lineages.
• Population processes are increasingly recognized as crucial drivers of macroevolutionary patterns.
• Gene-tree conflict, often stemming from population processes, is common during lineage origins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between phylogenomic conflict and phenotypic innovation.
• To test the hypothesis that shared population processes drive both genomic and phenotypic evolution.
• To explore how population dynamics influence macroevolutionary patterns.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of six diverse clades (vertebrates and plants).
• Identification of regions with high gene-tree conflict using phylogenomic data.
• Quantification of phenotypic innovation rates across these clades.

Main Results:

• Regions exhibiting high phylogenomic conflict also showed elevated rates of phenotypic innovation.
• A positive correlation was observed between gene-tree conflict and phenotypic evolution.
• These findings suggest shared underlying population processes.

Conclusions:

• Population processes leave detectable signatures on both genomic and phenotypic evolution over deep time.
• Phylogenomic conflict can serve as an indicator of periods of rapid evolutionary change.
• Further study of phylogenomic conflict can bridge micro- and macroevolutionary research.