Reticulate evolution

Phylogenetic network depicting reticulate evolution: Lineage B results from a horizontal transfer between its two ancestors A and C (blue, dotted lines).

Reticulate evolution, also network evolution, describes the origination of a lineage through the partial merging of two ancestor lineages, leading to relationships better described by a phylogenetic network than a bifurcating tree.[1]

Crossing of distinct lineages can happen through recombination, horizontal gene transfer, or hybrid speciation,[1] and a lineage of such origin thus has two most recent common ancestors. Reticulate evolution can involve species, but also genes, chromosomes, or genomes.

Reticulate evolution can happen between lineages separated only for a short time, for example through hybrid speciation in a species complex. Nevertheless, it also takes place over larger evolutionary distances, as exemplified by the presence of organelles of bacterial origin in eukaryotic cells. Although it is accepted that reticulate evolution occurred repeatedly in the tree of life, there is strong evidence for only one common ancestor of all life on earth.[2]

Reconstructing phylogenetic relationships under reticulate evolution requires adapted analytical methods.[3]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Linder CR, Moret BME. (2003). Network (reticulate) evolution: biology, models, and algorithms (PDF). University of Texas, Department of Computer Sciences.
  2. ↑ Theobald DL. (2010). "A formal test of the theory of universal common ancestry". Nature 465: 219–222. doi:10.1038/nature09014. PMID 20463738.
  3. ↑ Xu S. (2000). "Phylogenetic analysis under reticulate evolution". Molecular Biology and Evolution 17 (6): 897–907. PMID 10833196.