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Phylogenomics: Is less more when using large-scale datasets?

Davide Pisani1, Maria Eleonora Rossi2, Ferdinand Marlétaz3

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|December 20, 2022
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Xenacoelomorph worms were thought to be the earliest branching bilaterians. However, a new study reveals that misidentified genes may have incorrectly supported this placement in past phylogenetic studies.

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Area of Science:

  • * Zoology
  • * Evolutionary Biology
  • * Phylogenetics

Background:

  • * Xenacoelomorphs, a group of simple marine worms, have been traditionally classified as the sister group to all other Bilateria.
  • * This placement has significant implications for understanding early animal evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To re-evaluate the phylogenetic position of Xenacoelomorphs within the animal kingdom.
  • * To investigate potential sources of error in previous phylogenetic analyses.

Main Methods:

  • * Comparative genomic analysis.
  • * Re-examination of gene orthology assignments in existing phylogenetic datasets.

Main Results:

  • * Identification of potential misidentified orthologous genes in previous studies.
  • * Evidence suggests that some support for the Xenacoelomorph sister-group placement may stem from these misidentifications.

Conclusions:

  • * The traditional placement of Xenacoelomorphs as the sister group to all other Bilateria requires re-evaluation.
  • * Gene orthology assessment is critical for accurate phylogenetic inference in animal evolution studies.