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Long branch attraction

 

 
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Long branch attraction
 
 
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Long branch attraction (LBA) is a phenomenon in phylogenetic analyses (most commonly those employing maximum parsimony
Maximum parsimony

Parsimony is a non-parametric statistics method commonly used in computational phylogenetics for estimating phylogeny. Under parsimony, the preferred phylogenetic tree is the tree that requires the least evolutionary change to explain some observed data....
) when rapidly evolving lineages are inferred to be closely related, regardless of their true evolution
Evolution

In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
ary relationships. For example, in DNA
DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetics instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses....
 sequence-based analyses, the problem arises when sequences from two (or more) lineages evolve rapidly. There are only four possible nucleotide
Nucleotide

Nucleotides are molecules that comprise the structural units of RNA and DNA. Additionally, nucleotides play central roles in metabolism. In that capacity, they serve as sources of chemical energy , participate in cell signaling , and are incorporated into important cofactors of enzymatic reactions ....
s and when DNA substitution
Mutation

In biology, mutations are changes to the nucleotide sequence of the genetic material of an organism. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, by exposure to ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, chemical mutagens, or virus , or can be induced by the organism, itself, by cellular processes such as s...
 rates are high, the probability that two lineages will convergently
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
 evolve the same nucleotide at the same site increases.






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Long branch attraction (LBA) is a phenomenon in phylogenetic analyses (most commonly those employing maximum parsimony
Maximum parsimony

Parsimony is a non-parametric statistics method commonly used in computational phylogenetics for estimating phylogeny. Under parsimony, the preferred phylogenetic tree is the tree that requires the least evolutionary change to explain some observed data....
) when rapidly evolving lineages are inferred to be closely related, regardless of their true evolution
Evolution

In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
ary relationships. For example, in DNA
DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetics instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses....
 sequence-based analyses, the problem arises when sequences from two (or more) lineages evolve rapidly. There are only four possible nucleotide
Nucleotide

Nucleotides are molecules that comprise the structural units of RNA and DNA. Additionally, nucleotides play central roles in metabolism. In that capacity, they serve as sources of chemical energy , participate in cell signaling , and are incorporated into important cofactors of enzymatic reactions ....
s and when DNA substitution
Mutation

In biology, mutations are changes to the nucleotide sequence of the genetic material of an organism. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, by exposure to ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, chemical mutagens, or virus , or can be induced by the organism, itself, by cellular processes such as s...
 rates are high, the probability that two lineages will convergently
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
 evolve the same nucleotide at the same site increases. When this happens, parsimony erroneously interprets this homoplasy as a synapomorphy
Synapomorphy

In evolutionary biology, a synapomorphy is a derived character state shared by two or more terminal groups and inherited from their most recent common ancestor....
 (i.e., evolving once in the common ancestor of the two lineages).

This problem can be minimized by using methods that correct for multiple substitutions at the same site, by breaking up long branches adding taxa related to those with the long branches or by using alternative slower evolving traits.