整合系统发育信息：概念、方法与挑战

Combining phylogenetic information:concept,methodology,and challenges

DNA序列、形态和其他同源性状可以用于推断物种的起源和历史。整合所有可利用的系统发育信息可以大大拓展所覆盖类群的范围,推进我们对现存生物的认识,而且使得生物学家提出和验证的假说尺度更广,更有统计说服力。文章综述了整合系统发育信息的概念及其与传统分析的异同,重点讨论了整合系统发育信息中应用最广的超级树(Supertree)和超级矩阵(Supermatrix)方法;在比较分析了这两个方法的优缺点之后,介绍了近些年提出的新的方法。文章详细分析了整合系统发育信息的发展所面临的来自数据和理论方面的挑战,认为尽管整合分析的发展困难较多,它仍然是到目前为止构建完整生命之树(网)的唯一方法;它的完善必将拓展我们对于生物进化过程的认识,并对进化生物学相关学科产生积极影响。

The DNA sequences, morphological and other homologous characters can be used to infer the origins and histories of biological taxa. Combining all the phylogenetic information available can produce more inclusive phylogenies, improve our understanding of living organisms, and enable biologists to prompt and test hypotheses on a larger scale and with stronger statistical power. In this article, the concept of combining phylogenetic information and its comparison with traditional analysis were reviewed. The most popular approaches of supertree and supermatrix were discussed in detail, and novel ways were presented. Although the combining analysis is facing rigid challenges from data and foundation, it is currently the only approach for realization of the Tree（Net） of Life, and its development will definitely expand our knowledge of evolution on the earth and contribute to the progress of evolutionary related disciplines.