MORPHOLOGICAL PHYLOGENETICS: PRINCIPLES, APPLICATIONS, AND TECHNIQUES

Online live sessions from Monday 14th to Friday 18th and from Monday 21st to Friday 25th; from 16:00 to 19:30 (Madrid time zone).

An accurate reconstruction of evolutionary relationships among species is the cornerstone of evolutionary biology. 

Building phylogenetic trees thus provides the fundamental framework upon which systematic, biogeographic and evolutionary research operates. Morphological phylogenetics provides a unique toolkit for inferring relationships, considering that the vast majority of the species that have ever lived are now extinct and can only be assessed based on morphological data. Additionally, combining fossils and morphological data with molecular data from extant species is becoming the most comprehensive method of assessing phylogenetic relationships on deep time and the time of origin of major evolutionary lineages. In this course, we will focus on the analysis of morphological data (and combining morphological data with molecular data) using multiple optimality criteria for phylogenetic inference. We will discuss the best available approaches to construct morphological data sets and their impact on phylogenies. We will follow with theory and hands-on practice of phylogenetic programs using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference.

Participants will learn how to combine morphological and molecular data for total evidence analyses, how to conduct time-calibrations using tip and node dating, different birth-death models, morphological clocks and combined evidence relaxed clock analyses. Customized course materials will be provided.

Software:

Mesquite, TNT, RAxML, IQTree, Mr. Bayes and BEAST.

REQUIREMENTS

Prior knowledge of concepts in systematics and phylogenetics is strongly recommended. All participants must have a personal computer (Windows, Macintosh). Webcam and headphones are needed for the correct development of the class, as well as a good internet connection.

Contact

[email protected]

Language

English

Places

Places are limited to18 participants and will be occupied by strict registration order.

Participants who have completed the course will receive a certificate at the end of it.

Schedule and Course length

Online live sessions from Monday 14th to Friday 18th and from Monday 21st to Friday 25th of February; from 16:00 to 19:30 (Madrid time zone).

35 hours live online.

This course is equivalent to 2 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) at the Life Science Zurich Graduate School.

The recognition of ECTS by other institutions depends on each university or school.

InstructorsDr. Tiago SimõesHarvard UniversityUnited States of America
Dr. Oksana VernygoraUniversity of Kentucky
Unites States of America