How do taxonomic biases in the fossil record and phylogenies interact?

While fossils are an effective means to calibrate molecular phylogenies, their usefulness in determining the age and structure of relationships between taxa is contingent on their appraisal and application by researchers. In cases where a taxon’s fossil record does not properly reflect their overall diversity, such as in insects, plants, or fungi, differences in fossil calibration methodology can have a potentially larger impact on a phylogeny compared to taxa with more complete fossil records. Additionally, fossil data can have differing applications depending on the type of calibration performed by a researcher. This meta-data analysis aims to do the following, elucidate the relative robustness in the fossil record of Phylum Arthropoda, Chordata and some other Eukaryotes while also comparing usage of node and tip dating methods in phylogenetic divergence dating studies. Finally, this paper aims to identify how these taxonomic biases interact with researcher methodology to influence the reconstruction of timetrees. While this final comparison was not possible given the final dataset, the results show major impediments in the Arthropod fossil record compared to the fossil record of Chordates. Despite this, Arthropod phylogenetic studies employ similar methods to studies of groups with more complete fossil records. To maximize useful data from more limited fossil records, such as in the case of the Arthropod fossil record, a higher emphasis should be placed on robust fossil classification and placement. Such standards, while not universal, have been proposed via the Parham Principals. To add to this, due to past issues with placement of fossils, multiple independent publications should validate a fossil’s placement via apomorphy based morphology assessments, proper stratigraphy data, and assess morphological and molecular placement of the fossil.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Entomology

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Martin, Jared

Contributors dc:contributor

• Evangelista, Dominic

• Calibration
• Fossils
• Fossilized Birth-Death
• Phylogenetics
• Taxonomic Bias

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Jared Martin

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129173

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129173