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Deconstructing age estimates for angiosperms.

Tom Carruthers1, Robert W Scotland2

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
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PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Estimating the age of angiosperms using molecular phylogenies is complex. This study re-estimated angiosperm age with fewer assumptions, yielding a broad range (130-400 Ma) but reduced precision, highlighting the impact of assumption stringency.

Keywords:
AngiospermsFossilsGenomicsTime-calibrated-phylogeny

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Paleobotany
  • Molecular phylogenetics

Background:

  • Estimating angiosperm (flowering plant) evolutionary timescales from molecular phylogenies is challenging due to variable results.
  • Existing methods rely on assumptions regarding molecular evolution rates (clock models) and phylogenetic branch durations (fossil calibrations, branching processes).
  • Demonstrating the accuracy of these assumptions against current knowledge of molecular evolution and the fossil record is often difficult.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-estimate the age of angiosperms.
  • To minimize assumptions in age estimation, thereby avoiding inherent limitations of other methods.
  • To assess the impact of assumption stringency on age estimate precision and the influence of molecular datasets.

Main Methods:

  • Re-estimation of angiosperm age using a minimal set of assumptions.
  • Analysis of four distinct molecular datasets.
  • Comparison of age estimates derived from less stringent assumptions regarding evolutionary rates and time durations.

Main Results:

  • Age estimates for angiosperms were consistent across the four datasets analyzed, ranging from 130 to 400 million years ago (Ma).
  • The precision of these age estimates was significantly lower compared to previous studies.
  • The reduction in precision was directly attributed to the use of less stringent assumptions about evolutionary rates and time.
  • The specific molecular dataset analyzed had minimal impact on the resulting age estimates.

Conclusions:

  • Re-estimating angiosperm age with minimal assumptions provides a broad but less precise timescale.
  • The stringency of assumptions regarding evolutionary rates and time significantly influences the precision of phylogenetic age estimates.
  • Molecular dataset choice has a limited effect on angiosperm age estimates when assumptions are relaxed.