The shape of phylogenetic trees that connect extant taxa provides information about the macroevolutionary processes that generated them. Tree shape can be analyzed to reveal patterns and dynamics of evolutionary change that would otherwise be obscured if only fossil record data were considered. [@mooers_inferring_1997]
Definitions
Synthesis
The structure of phylogenetic trees, defined by tree balance (branching symmetry) and branch length distributions, serves as a quantitative record of the macroevolutionary processes that have shaped biodiversity over deep time. These shape characteristics mechanistically encode variation in speciation and extinction rates across evolutionary history, enabling researchers to detect signatures of major macroevolutionary phenomena such as mass extinctions and adaptive radiations. Tree shape analysis further allows investigators to test ecological and biogeographical hypotheses by correlating structural patterns with environmental changes and geographic events that may have driven rate shifts. While the relationships between tree shape features and macroevolutionary dynamics are well-established, the precise causal mechanisms linking specific ecological drivers to observed patterns in tree structure remain an active area of investigation.
Related
- Tree balance and branch length distribution characterize tree shape
- Tree shape detects mass extinctions and adaptive radiations
- Tree shape associates evolutionary rate changes with ecological causes
- Tree shape measures variation in speciation and extinction rates