New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

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Some recent progress with methods for evolutionary trees

DAVID PENNY*
ELIZABETH E. WATSON

Department of Plant Biology
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North, New Zealand

ROBERT E. HICKSON
PETER J. LOCKHART

Department of Microbiology and Genetics
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North, New Zealand
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract Sequences of macromolecules have "signals" or patterns that arise from a number of sources, particularly from shared common history or phylogeny. We discuss methods for inferring evolutionary trees from these patterns or signals under five properties desired for an ideal method. These five desiderata are that the methods be efficient (fast), consistent, powerful, robust, and falsifiable. Our conclusion is that corrections for multiple changes in sequences are the most important factor for any method to be consistent. Most optimality criteria, including compatibility and parsimony, become consistent when the sequences have appropriate corrections for multiple changes. Conversely, virtually no methods are consistent without adjustments for multiple changes. Hadamard conjugations are used to illustrate relationships between different methods and then illustrated by combining it with the closest tree optimality criterion. The data used to illustrate these recent developments include DNA sequences used to study B93018 Received 2 February 1993; accepted 13 July 1993 the origin of chloroplasts and also New Zealand skinks (Leiolopisma spp).

Keywords evolutionary trees; spectral analysis; parsimony; closest tree

B93018 ; Received 2 February 1993; accepted 13 July 1993
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1993, Vol. 31: 275-288
OO28-825X/93/3103-0275 $2.50/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 1993

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1396K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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