Rectifying long-standing misconceptions about the ρ statistic for molecular dating.

摘要: When divided by a given mutation rate, the ρ (rho) statistic provides simple estimator of age clade within phylogenetic tree averaging number mutations from each sample in to its root. However, long-standing critique use genetic dating has been quite often cited. Here we show that is unfounded. We demonstrate formal mathematical argument and illustrate with simulation study estimates are unbiased also maximum likelihood do not differ any systematic fashion. claim associated confidence intervals commonly estimate uncertainty inappropriately flawed since it relies on means calculating standard errors used other researchers, whereas an established expression for error largely unproblematic. conclude dating, alongside approaches such as (ML) Bayesian inference, remains useful tool dating.