pirouette

pirouette assesses inference error in Bayesian phylogenetic analyses by quantifying how mismatches between macroevolutionary diversification models and the species tree prior affect reconstructed phylogenetic trees from nucleotide sequence alignments.

Key Features:

• Integration with BEAST2: Integrates with BEAST2 and is applicable to other Bayesian phylogenetic inference tools to evaluate model fit.
• Assessment of Inference Error: Quantifies tree-estimation error that arises when the true macroevolutionary diversification process differs from the species tree prior used in Bayesian analyses.
• Comparison of Tree Priors: Enables comparison of different tree priors, including models where prior probabilities can be computed rapidly, to evaluate their ability to capture macroevolutionary dynamics.
• Interpretation of Results: Produces quantitative assessments to interpret the implications of inference error for phylogenetic reconstruction and macroevolutionary inference.

Scientific Applications:

• Phylogenetic reconstruction accuracy: Assess accuracy and bias in phylogenetic trees reconstructed from nucleotide sequence alignments under Bayesian frameworks.
• Macroevolutionary model evaluation: Evaluate and compare macroevolutionary diversification models and species tree priors to inform studies of species diversification and evolutionary history.

Methodology:

Integrates with BEAST2 for Bayesian phylogenetic inference, quantifies tree-estimation error arising from mismatches between true macroevolutionary diversification models and the species tree prior, and compares tree priors using computation of prior probabilities.