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Comment on Rieux and Balloux: calibration from tip‐dating can compromise topological accuracy and evolutionary inference
Author(s) -
Emerson Brent C.,
AlvaradoSerrano Diego F.,
Hickerson Michael J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1111/mec.13951
Subject(s) - panmixia , coalescent theory , biology , inference , evolutionary biology , phylogenetic tree , term (time) , population , calibration , phylogenetics , statistics , artificial intelligence , computer science , genetics , genetic variation , genetic structure , mathematics , demography , gene , physics , quantum mechanics , sociology
We contribute to the recent review of Rieux & Balloux, 2016, Mol. Ecol., 25 , 1911 on inferences from tip‐dated phylogenies by developing their discussion on the influence of population size ( N e ) under panmixia for the estimation of substitution rate (μ). We highlight how phylogenetic trees inferred with tip‐dated sequences under large panmictic N e tend to erroneously enforce an age‐based coalescent pattern on the posterior distribution of trees, which in turn results in systematically inflated estimates of μ. We discuss the consequences of this and suggest how to accommodate the issue in the short term and long term.