Integrated species-phenon trees: visualizing infraspecific diversity within lineages
Date
2019
Authors
Zehady, Abdullah
Fordham, Barry
Ogg, James G
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Nature Publishing Group
Abstract
The unprecedented detail with which contemporary molecular phylogenetics are visualizing
infraspecifc relationships within living species and species complexes cannot as yet be reliably
extended into deep time. Yet paleontological systematics has routinely dealt in (mainly) morphotaxa
envisaged in various ways to have been components of past species lineages. Bridging these
perspectives can only enrich both. We present a visualization tool that digitally depicts infraspecifc
diversity within species through deep time. Our integrated species–phenon tree merges ancestor–
descendant trees for fossil morphotaxa (phena) into reconstructed phylogenies of lineages (species)
by expanding the latter into “species boxes” and placing the phenon trees inside. A key programming
strategy to overcome the lack of a simple overall parent–child hierarchy in the integrated tree has been
the progressive population of a species–phenon relationship map which then provides the graphical
footprint for the overarching species boxes. Our initial case has been limited to planktonic foraminfera
via Aze & others’ important macroevolutionary dataset. The tool could potentially be appropriated for
other organisms, to detail other kinds of infraspecifc granularity within lineages, or more generally to
visualize two nested but loosely coupled trees.
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Scientific Reports
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Journal article
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Open Access
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Creative Commons license
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