Next-generation cophylogeny: unravelling eco-evolutionary processes
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
Published on: August 14, 2018
Isabel Blasco-Costa1, Alexander Hayward2, Robert Poulin3
1Department of Invertebrates, Natural History Museum of Geneva, PO Box 6434, CH-1211 Geneva 6, Switzerland; Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Langnes, PO Box 6050, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
Abstract:
A fundamental question in evolutionary biology is how microevolutionary processes translate into species diversification. Cophylogeny provides an appropriate framework to address this for symbiotic associations, but historically has been primarily limited to unveiling patterns. We argue that it is essential to integrate advances from ecology and evolutionary biology into cophylogeny, to gain greater mechanistic insights and transform cophylogeny into a platform to advance understanding of interspecific interactions and diversification more widely. We discuss key directions, such as incorporating trait reconstruction and considering multiple scales of network organization, and highlight recent developments for implementation. A new quantitative framework is proposed to allow integration of relevant information, such as quantitative traits and assessment of the contribution of individual mechanisms to cophylogenetic patterns.
Related Concept Videos
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Phylogeny
Eukaryotic Evolution
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
Convergent Evolution
Modern Molecular Taxonomy
Applications of Molecular Taxonomy

