Positive correlation between diversification rates and phenotypic evolvability can mimic punctuated equilibrium on molecular phylogenies.

Abstract excerpt

The hypothesis of punctuated equilibrium proposes that most phenotypic evolution occurs in rapid bursts associated with speciation events. Several methods have been developed that can infer punctuated equilibrium from molecular phylogenies in the absence of paleontological data. These methods essentially test whether the variance in phenotypes among extant species is better explained by evolutionary time since...

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