APPLICATION AND ACCURACY OF MOLECULAR PHYLOGENIES

Molecular investigations of evolutionary history are being used to stu dy subjects as diverse as the epidemiology of acquired immune deficien cy syndrome andthe origin of life. These studies depend on accurate es timates of phylogeny. The performance of methods of phylogenetic analy sis can be assessed by numerical simulation studies and by the experim ental evolution of organisms in controlled laboratory situations. Both kinds of assessment indicate that existing methods are effective at e stimating phylogenies over a wide range of evolutionary conditions, es pecially if information about substitution bias is used to provide dif ferential weightings for character transformations.