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PlaceMyFossils: An Integrative Approach to Analyze and Visualize the Phylogenetic Placement of Fossils Using Backbone
Santiago A Catalano1,2,3, Ignacio Escapa4, Kelsey D Pugh2,5,6
1Unidad Ejecutora Lillo, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas - Fundación Miguel Lillo, Miguel Lillo 251, 4000 San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
Systematic Biology
|April 17, 2025
Summary
PlaceMyFossils is a new tool that helps researchers accurately place fossil species on phylogenetic trees using morphology. It evaluates placement, identifies key characters, and assesses confidence for evolutionary studies.
Area of Science:
- Systematics
- Paleontology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Growing interest in integrating morphological data with molecular phylogenetics.
- Challenges in placing extinct or fossil species with fragmentary morphology on phylogenetic trees.
- Existing phylogenetic programs lack comprehensive evaluation tools for constrained searches.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce PlaceMyFossils, an integrated approach to evaluate phylogenetic placement of query species, especially fossils.
- Determine relevant characters and partitions for phylogenetic placement.
- Assess result confidence and define optimal analytical conditions.
Main Methods:
- Developed PlaceMyFossils as an interactive script for TNT (Tree Analysis Using New Technologies) software.
- Combined several analyses for thorough evaluation of phylogenetic placement.
- Tested using empirical datasets from conifers and dinosaurs.
Main Results:
- PlaceMyFossils provides a comprehensive evaluation of phylogenetic placement for fossil species.
- Identified key characters and partitions influencing placement.
- Demonstrated utility and performance compared to existing tools.
Conclusions:
- PlaceMyFossils is a valuable tool for integrating morphological and molecular data in systematics.
- It offers a powerful resource for empirical systematists, particularly those working with fossils.
- The tool has potential for advancing morphological evolution studies and understanding diversification.
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