Phylogeny and Stratigraphy Comparison

Peter Wagner, Smithsonian Institution, USA

Published online: December 2011

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0001520.pub2

Phylogenetic relationships among taxa can be estimated in a number of ways. Given known fossil records, phylogenetic estimates implicitly hypothesise the latest possible origination times of taxa. One can use these inferences as models to evaluate the quality of the fossil record. Originally, it was hoped that these metrics would obviate the need for probabilistic models. However, subsequent research shows that all these metrics are affected by the same factors affecting probabilistic models while also being highly sensitive to the accuracy of the model phylogeny. Alternatively, one can treat these inferences as hypotheses to be tested by stratigraphic distribution data. Given the sensitivity of phylogenetic inference to ideas about character evolution and levels of convergence, this offers a promising avenue for reducing untested assumptions yielding initial phylogenetic estimates.

Key Concepts:

  • Particular ideas about phylogenetic relationships have implications about both macroevolutionary models and preservation models.
  • There are several ways to describe gaps implied by inferred phylogenies, but all reflect factors other than simple preservation rate, especially the accuracy of the phylogeny.
  • Using stratigraphic data to test phylogenetic inferences as hypotheses might help assess the assumptions underlying phylogenetic inference.

Keywords: palaeontology; phylogeny; stratigraphy

Figure 1. How cladograms and inferred phylogenies imply range extensions and stratigraphic debt. A phylogeny (including temporal distributions and possible ancestor–descendant relationships) is inferred by combining stratigraphic ranges with a phylogenetic analysis. Horizontal black lines crossing through branches in the bottom part of the figure denote morphologic novelties; absence of such novelties indicates that a taxon is identical to a hypothesised ancestor. Dashed lines give range extensions (=ghost lineages when attached to species and ghost taxa when attached to clades). Stratigraphic debt is the sum of those range extensions, based on the stratigraphic scale presented on the far left. Exact phylogenetic hypotheses affect inferred extensions and debt. (a) and (b) are based on identical cladograms; however, in (b) the light grey species is identical to the reconstructed common ancestor of light grey and white whereas in (a) it is not. Thus, (a) infers that one or more unsampled morphologies spanned the duration between the first appearance of light grey and the first appearance of white. (c) Illustrates how small changes in estimated phylogeny can yield large differences in stratigraphic debt.
Figure 2. Calculation of consistency metrics. (a) Stratigraphic ranges and estimated phylogeny for six species, with age ranks and clade ranks illustrated. All nodes but the most basal one are considered ‘consistent’ by the Stratigraphic Consistency Index (SCI) as only the basal node is ‘older’ than its sister taxon. (b) Age rank:clade rank comparisons for Spearman's Rank Correlation (SRC) tests. (c and d) The same analyses for an alternative topology that is more symmetrical than (a). Note that clades must be condensed for SRC comparisons. Note also that SCI comparisons necessarily consider one clade to be inconsistent when two clades are sister taxa but have different first appearances.
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    Pardo JD, Huttenlocker AK and Marcot JD (2008) Stratocladistics and evaluation of evolutionary modes in the fossil record: an example from the ammonite genus Semiformiceras. Palaeontology 51: 767–773.
    Solow AR (2003) Estimation of stratigraphic ranges when fossil finds are not randomly distributed. Paleobiology 29: 181–185.
    Wagner PJ (1995) Stratigraphic tests of cladistic hypotheses. Paleobiology 21: 153–178.
    Wagner PJ (2002) Testing phylogenetic hypotheses with stratigraphy and morphology – a comment on Smith (2000). Journal of Paleontology 76: 590–593.

Related Sub-Topics:

Reconstruction of Phylogeny | Fossils and Evolution | Evolution: Theories and Ideas
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Article Title: Phylogeny and Stratigraphy Comparison
 
How to Cite close
Wagner, Peter(Dec 2011) Phylogeny and Stratigraphy Comparison. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0001520.pub2]