Reconstructing evolutionary timescales using phylogenomics

  • K. Jun Tong ,
  • Nathan Lo ,
  • Simon Y. W. Ho
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  • School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia

Online published: 2016-10-24

Supported by

This work was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award to KJT and by the Australian Research Council (grant DP160104173 to NL and SYWH).

Abstract

Reconstructing the timescale of the Tree of Life is one of the principal aims of evolutionary biology. This has been greatly aided by the development of the molecular clock, which enables evolutionary timescales to be estimated from genetic data. In recent years, high-throughput sequencing technology has led to an increase in the feasibility and availability of genome-scale data sets. These represent a rich source of biological information, but they also bring a set of analytical challenges. In this review, we provide an overview of phylogenomic dating and describe the challenges associated with analysing genome-scale data. We also report on recent phylogenomic estimates of the evolutionary timescales of mammals, birds, and insects.

Cite this article

K. Jun Tong , Nathan Lo , Simon Y. W. Ho . Reconstructing evolutionary timescales using phylogenomics[J]. Zoological Systematics, 2016 , 41(4) : 343 -351 . DOI: 10.11865/zs.201640

Outlines

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