The importance of fossils in phylogeny reconstruction

A.O. Averianov

Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS, 2013, 317(Supplement 2):

Abstract

The number of extant species of organisms is approximately 0.5–1% from the total number of species ever lived, which can be estimated as 0.9–1.6 billions. From this number of extant species, only 10% or less is known to the scientists. Thus, a sample of only 0.1% from the total number of species is available for the molecular systematics. This is not enough for an adequate phylogeny of the organic world on the species level based on molecular data. The method of ghost lineages allows quantitative estimation of the fit of the phylogenetic hypotheses to the fossil record. This method is a robust instrument for the testing of the phylogenetic hypothesis. A close coincidence of different measures of ghost lineages for a large number of recent phylogenetic analyses advocates for the adequacy of the fossil record for the understanding of the phylogeny of organic world. Inclusion of fossils into the phylogenetic analysis may dramatically change the topology of the final cladogram, because fossils may bear significant information on the lost evolutionary history. The paleontological data is the only way for calibrating of the molecular clocks. Two thirds of history of life on the Earth is already in the past. Thus, the understanding of the phylogeny of the organic world is not possible without the paleontological data.

Key words

molecular systematics, paleontology, phylogenetic analysis, phylogeny

Published September 16, 2013

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