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SUMMARY:Taphonomy and The Tree: are Fossil Taxa Misleadingly &quot\;Primit
 ive&quot\;? - Robert Asher\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20230314T120000Z
DTEND:20230314T130000Z
UID:TALK177017@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Oscar Branson
DESCRIPTION:I use the well-corroborated tree of living vertebrates to meas
 ure the phylogenetic value of data typically used in paleontology: bones a
 nd teeth. In particular\, I ask if the loss of non-fossilizable data cause
 s taxa to occur in misleadingly basal positions. Adding morphology to DNA 
 data sets usually increases congruence of resulting topologies to the well
 -corroborated tree\, but this varies among morphological data sets. Extant
  taxa with a high proportion of missing morphological characters can great
 ly reduce phylogenetic resolution when analyzed together with fossils. Whi
 le loss of data can lead to misleadingly basal positions for fossils\, the
 re is no evidence that is more frequent than other kinds of phylogenetic e
 rror. Morphology comprises the evidence held in common by living taxa and 
 fossils\, and phylogenetic analysis of fossils greatly benefits from inclu
 sion of molecular and morphological data sampled for living taxa\, whateve
 r methods are used for phylogeny estimation.
LOCATION:Department of Earth Sciences\, Tilley Lecture Theatre
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