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Phylogenies from Molecular Sequences: Inference and Reliability

Phylogenies from Molecular Sequences: Inference and Reliability The field of molecular evolution owes most of its existence to the possibility of sequencing proteins and nucleic acids. Molecular sequences provide us with precisely comparable characters, observed at or near the level of the 0066-4197/88/1215-0521$02.00 FELSENSTEIN gene, which can be examined in diverse organisms. The amount of data is very large and rising rapidly. It enables us to work in two modes: we can either use our knowledge of the evolutionary history of the species to examine the mechanisms of evolution of the molecules, or we can use knowledge of the evolution of the molecules to infer the evolutionary history of the species. It is this latter, the inference of phylogenies, that is the concern of this review. However, the techniques used to do this are also relevant to the other task. In either mode, we make use of a model of the evolutionary process. The central model of molecular evolution is one of random evolutionary changes, occurring at a stochastically constant rate. It was first introduced by Zucker­ kandl & Pauling (144) in the form of the "molecular clock," which is the somewhat stronger assertion that the expected rate of change was the same in all http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Annual Review of Genetics Annual Reviews

Phylogenies from Molecular Sequences: Inference and Reliability

Felsenstein, J
Annual Review of Genetics , Volume 22 (1) – Dec 1, 1988
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Publisher
Annual Reviews
Copyright
Copyright 1988 Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Subject
Review Articles
ISSN
0066-4197
eISSN
1545-2948
DOI
10.1146/annurev.ge.22.120188.002513
pmid
3071258
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The field of molecular evolution owes most of its existence to the possibility of sequencing proteins and nucleic acids. Molecular sequences provide us with precisely comparable characters, observed at or near the level of the 0066-4197/88/1215-0521$02.00 FELSENSTEIN gene, which can be examined in diverse organisms. The amount of data is very large and rising rapidly. It enables us to work in two modes: we can either use our knowledge of the evolutionary history of the species to examine the mechanisms of evolution of the molecules, or we can use knowledge of the evolution of the molecules to infer the evolutionary history of the species. It is this latter, the inference of phylogenies, that is the concern of this review. However, the techniques used to do this are also relevant to the other task. In either mode, we make use of a model of the evolutionary process. The central model of molecular evolution is one of random evolutionary changes, occurring at a stochastically constant rate. It was first introduced by Zucker­ kandl & Pauling (144) in the form of the "molecular clock," which is the somewhat stronger assertion that the expected rate of change was the same in all

Journal

Annual Review of Genetics – Annual Reviews

Published: Dec 1, 1988

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