1,721,044 research outputs found
Online Data Supplement: Longevity is linked to mitochondrial mutation rates in rockfish: a test using Poisson regression
No full text<p>This is the online supplement for:</p>
<p>Xia Hua, Peter Cowman, Dan Warren, and Lindell Bromham</p>
<p><em>Longevity is linked to mitochondrial mutation rates in rockfish: a test using Poisson regression.</em> Mol Biol Evol first published online June 5, 2015 doi:10.1093/molbev/msv137</p>
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<p>It contains scripts, files and alignments assoicated with the paper to reproduce the branch length estimation analyses</p
Solving Galton’s problem: practical solutions for analysing language diversity and evolution
No full textComparisons between languages can illuminate the processes of language change, by revealing meaningful associations between language features, or the influence of external factors on the patterns and rates of language change. But comparisons between languages raise statistical challenges, because close relatives will tend to be more similar to each other in many respects than they are to more distantly related languages, and languages from the same regions will be subject to many of the same influences. Therefore observations made on different languages will usually fail to meet the requirement of statistical independence inherent in all standard statistical tests. This fundamental challenge of cross-cultural analysis, known as Galton’s problem, is no cause for despair, because there are a range of solutions that fit comfortably within the scope of most projects, using only data that are easily available for all languages. This paper discusses a range of practical solutions, including phylogenetic analysis, sister pair comparisons, and spatially structured models, that can be applied to analyses of language variation and chang
The genome as a life-history character: why rate of molecular evolution varies between mammal species
No full textDNA sequences evolve at different rates in different species. This rate variation has been most closely examined in mammals, revealing a large number of characteristics that can shape the rate of molecular evolution. Many of these traits are part of the mammalian life-history continuum: species with small body size, rapid generation turnover, high fecundity and short lifespans tend to have faster rates of molecular evolution. In addition, rate of molecular evolution in mammals might be influenced by behaviour (such as mating system), ecological factors (such as range restriction) and evolutionary history (such as diversification rate). I discuss the evidence for these patterns of rate variation, and the possible explanations of these correlations. I also consider the impact of these systematic patterns of rate variation on the reliability of the molecular date estimates that have been used to suggest a Cretaceous radiation of modern mammals, before the final extinction of the dinosaurs.</jats:p
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