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Problems with parsimony in sequences of biased base composition

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 23:39 authored by Adam Eyre-WalkerAdam Eyre-Walker
Parsimony is commonly used to infer the direction of substitution and mutation. However, it is known that parsimony is biased when the base composition of the DNA sequence is skewed. Here I quantify this effect for several simple cases. The analysis demonstrates that parsimony can be misleading even when levels of sequence divergence are as low as 10%; parsimony incorrectly infers an excess of common to rare changes. Caution must therefore be excercised in the use of parsimony.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Journal of Molecular Evolution

ISSN

0022-2844

Publisher

Springer Verlag

Issue

6

Volume

47

Page range

686-690

Pages

5.0

Department affiliated with

  • Evolution, Behaviour and Environment Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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