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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

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Evolution: Polymorphic genes and false convergence.

Edward L Braun¹

¹Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.

Current Biology : CB

|May 5, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Hemiplasy, a discordance between gene and species trees, can mimic convergent evolution. New evidence shows it is common in birds, impacting evolutionary studies and gene identification.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Genomics
Ornithology

Background:

Hemiplasy occurs when gene trees do not match species trees, potentially misrepresenting evolutionary relationships.
Apparent convergence of traits can arise from hemiplasy, complicating the study of trait evolution.
Understanding hemiplasy is crucial for accurate evolutionary inference.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the prevalence of hemiplasy in the avian tree of life.
To assess the impact of hemiplasy on inferring evolutionary history in birds.
To explore the implications of hemiplasy for identifying genes responsible for species differences.

Main Methods:

Phylogenetic analyses comparing gene trees and species trees across diverse avian lineages.
Statistical modeling to quantify the extent of gene-tree species-tree discordance.
Comparative genomic approaches to link hemiplastic events with trait evolution.

Main Results:

Evidence suggests hemiplasy is widespread across the bird tree of life.
Discordance between gene and species trees significantly impacts avian evolutionary reconstructions.
Hemiplasy can lead to the erroneous identification of convergent trait origins.

Conclusions:

Hemiplasy is a significant factor shaping the perceived evolutionary history of birds.
Accurate evolutionary inference in birds requires accounting for hemiplastic events.
Future studies must consider hemiplasy when identifying genes underlying avian diversity.