Very well-timed publication of my most recent work at @royalsociety.org Proc B showcasing the backbone of my future research at @stonybrooku.bsky.social!
There is still much to learn about ray-finned fish neurocranial evolution and the diversity of ways brain and endocasts interact in this lineage!
Abstract. Vertebrates are unique among animals as they bear a neurocranium, which almost completely encapsulates the brain. Thus, within vertebrates, the e
Diversification rate shifts are everywhere. Analyses of phylogenies covering >300k species reveal widespread changes in speciation dynamics across the Tree of Life.
@bjorntko.bsky.social @hoehna.bsky.social @acapomorphic.bsky.social academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...
📣 Introducing MorphSim: an R package for simulating discrete morphological data along phylogenetic trees, built for fossil-inclusive phylogenetics, with all the complexity of real morphological data baked in 🪨🌿
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Oh, this looks quite convenient, especially the filtering and mimicking empirical matrices.
Ultimately, to time-calibrate a molecular phylogeny, we recommend using the unresolved FBD approach when several extinct species are sampled in the focal group, or sampled fossils are taxonomically uncertain. In other cases (e.g. few fossils), we favor the use of classic node-dating approaches.
Check out our new paper comparing node calibrations and unresolved FBD for dating molecular phylogenies using crocs and firefly datasets as case studies 🐊
