Iterative character weighting based on mutation frequency: a new method for constructing phyletic trees

Van Ooyen, A., and Hogeweg, P. (1990). J. Mol. Evol. 31: 330-342. [Full text: PDF]

Abstract

In this paper we present an iterative character weighting method for the construction of phyletic trees. An initial tree is used to calculate the character weights, which are the number of mutations normalized so that the possible range is corrected for. The weights obtained are used to adjust the tree; this process is iterated until a stable tree is found. Using data generated according to a model tree, we show that the trees constructed by the iterative character weighting method converge to the true underlying tree. Using biological data, the trees become closer to the systematic classification of the species concerned, and patterns conflicting with the phylogenetic pattern can be singled out. The method invlolves a combination of minimal length methods and similarity methods, whereby the strict parsimony criterion is relaxed.