Journal
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
Volume 25, Issue 7, Pages 403-409Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2010.04.007
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Determining the direction of past transitions between adaptive traits is one of the major objectives of evolutionary biology. Insights can be gained from phylogenies, but violation of the assumptions of the statistical models used to reconstruct traits can result in severe biases and complementary evidence should be considered. Here, we review the weaknesses of relying solely on species phylogenies in reconstructing the evolutionary history of C-4 photosynthesis in grasses, a complex trait present in distinct phylogenetic groups. We argue that evolutionary transitions should be reconstructed by establishing the homology or convergence of the different states based on genetic and phenotypic analyses. Such an approach points to a predominance of C-4 gains over reversals to C-3 and we discuss potential explanations for this asymmetry in transition rates.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available