Phylogenetic tree shape analysis can be used to identify temporal associations between changes in speciation and extinction rates and specific ecological or biogeographical events or conditions. By correlating patterns in tree structure with known environmental or geographic changes, researchers can test hypotheses about the ecological drivers of macroevolutionary dynamics. [@mooers_inferring_1997]
Definitions
- phylogenetic tree
- tree shape
- speciation rates
- extinction rates
- ecological causes
- biogeographical causes
Synthesis
Phylogenetic tree shape, characterized by patterns of tree balance and branch length distributions, provides a quantitative framework for linking temporal variation in speciation and extinction rates to their underlying ecological and biogeographical drivers. The mechanistic connection operates through the way that ecological factors—such as interactions between organisms and their environment—and biogeographical causes—such as geographic distributions and spatial patterns of biodiversity—influence the per-lineage probabilities of speciation and extinction, which in turn leave distinctive signatures in the geometric structure of phylogenetic trees connecting extant taxa. This analytical approach enables researchers to detect major macroevolutionary phenomena like mass extinctions and adaptive radiations by examining how rate changes manifest in branching patterns. However, the specific methods for distinguishing among alternative ecological and biogeographical explanations for observed rate variation, and the degree to which different causal factors can be uniquely identified from tree shape alone, remain areas of active methodological development.
Related
- Tree balance and branch length distribution characterize tree shape
- Phylogenetic tree shape reflects macroevolutionary processes
- Tree shape detects mass extinctions and adaptive radiations
- Tree shape measures variation in speciation and extinction rates