Skip to main content
The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia
Faculty of Science Department of Zoology

Main navigation

  • About
    • Message from Head
    • Department History
    • News
    • Publications
    • ZOOTAILS - the zoology newsletter
    • Welcome New Faculty
    • In Memoriam
    • Departmental Announcements
    • Contacts and Information
    • Jobs
    • Buildings
    • Transportation & Parking
  • People
    • People
    • Faculty - Research
    • Faculty - Educational leadership
    • Lecturers
    • Staff
    • Graduate Students
    • Postdoctoral Fellows
    • Associate Members
    • Adjunct Members
    • Affiliate Members
    • Research Associates
    • Research Lab staff
    • Emeriti
    • Alumni
    • Awards
  • Research
    • Research
    • Facilities
    • Affiliated Research Centres
    • Graduate Theses
  • Undergraduate Program
    • Undergraduate Program
    • Undergraduate Research Opportunities
    • Biology Program
    • UBC Sciences – Biology
  • Graduate Program
    • Graduate Program
    • Prospective Students
    • Newly Admitted Students
    • Current Students
    • Program Policies & Procedures
    • Student Resources
    • Department Forms
    • Zoology Graduate Student Association
    • Student Stories
    • Contacts
  • Events
    • Events
    • Weekly Seminars
    • Special Seminars and Events
    • CELL seminars
    • Discussion Groups
    • Calendar
    • Event Archive
  • Resources
    • Biostats and Data Science Faculty search (CWL login)
    • Resources
    • Safety
    • Onboarding
    • Workday
    • Building access: keys and cards
    • Room and Vehicle Bookings: Biosci & BRC (log in)
    • Room Bookings: North & East wings Biosci
    • Shipping & Receiving
    • Staff Directory
    • Aquatics (private)
    • Computing (ZCU)
    • Finance
    • HR: Human Resources
    • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Resources
    • Harassment and Discrimination complaints: steps and resources
    • Zoology Internal pages (private)
    • Recycling initiatives
    • Zoology Logo
    • Zoology Workshop
  • CWL Login

Breadcrumb

Home
»
About
»
News

Main Menu: Secondary

  • Message from Head
  • Department History
    • About the "Huts"
  • News
  • Publications
  • ZOOTAILS - the zoology newsletter
  • Welcome New Faculty
  • In Memoriam
  • Departmental Announcements
    • 2025
    • 2024
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
  • Contacts and Information
  • Jobs
    • Past jobs
  • Buildings
  • Transportation & Parking

New publication: Francisco Henao-Díaz & Matt Pennell. Systematic Biology

June 5, 2023
Figure 1 - detail: Study dataset, sampling, and estimated metrics on trees. Nine time-calibrated molecular megaphylogenies at species level were sampled through four different schemes: temporal sampling at 5 Myr intervals, taxonomic sampling from family up to order, and random extraction at nodes or internal branches. We estimated shape, branch length distribution and diversification metrics on each resulting tree.

L Francisco Henao-Diaz, Matt Pennell. 2023. The Major Features of Macroevolution. Systematic Biology

Abstract
Evolutionary dynamics operating across deep time leave footprints in the shapes of phylogenetic trees. For the last several decades, researchers have used increasingly large and robust phylogenies to study the evolutionary history of individual clades and to investigate the causes of the glaring disparities in diversity among groups. While typically not the focal point of individual clade-level studies, many researchers have remarked on recurrent patterns that have been observed across many different groups and at many different time scales. While previous studies have documented various such regularities in topology and branch length distributions, they have typically focused on a single pattern and used a disparate collection (oftentimes, of quite variable reliability) of trees to assess it. Here we take advantage of modern megaphylogenies and unify previous disparate observations about the shapes embedded in the Tree of Life to create a catalog of the “major features of macroevolution”. By characterizing such a large swath of subtrees in a consistent way, we hope to provide a set of phenomena that process-based macroevolutionary models of diversification ought to seek to explain.

Department of Zoology
#3051 - 6270 University Blvd.
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4
604 822 2131
E-mail zoology.info@ubc.ca
Back to top
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • UBC Copyright |
  • Accessibility