D5.1. Report on allometric scaling on phylogenetic trees
| by Palma and Leipzig |
| Output type: other |
Understanding the patterns and processes of
diversification of life in the planet is a key challenge of science. The Tree
of Life represents such diversification processes through the evolutionary
relationships among the different taxa, and can be extended down to
intra-specific relationships.
The
purpose of this deliverable was to examine, with network methods, the
topological properties of a large set of interspecific and intraspecific
phylogenies to elucidate what are the branching patterns appearing on them. We
find that these branching patterns follow allometric rules conserved across the
different levels in the Tree of Life, all significantly departing from those
expected from the standard null models. The finding of non-random universal
patterns of phylogenetic differentiation suggests that similar evolutionary
forces drive diversification across the broad range of scales, from
macro-evolutionary to micro-evolutionary processes, shaping the diversity of
life on the planet.
This deliverable has originated the publication Universal scaling in the branching of the Tree of Life
