Evolution of Reproductive Morphology in Leaf Endophytes

JeffreyTownsend — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:22:54 -0700

The endophytic lifestyle has played an important role in the evolution of the morphology of reproductive structures (body) in one of the most problematic groups in fungal classification, the Leotiomycetes (Ascomycota). Mapping fungal morphologies to two groups in the Leiotiomycetes, the Rhytismatales and Hemiphacidiaceae reveals significant divergence in body size, shape and complexity. Mapping ecological roles to these taxa reveals that the groups include endophytic fungi living on leaves and saprobic fungi living on duff or dead wood.

Evolution of Reproductive Morphology in Leaf Endophytes

Maximum-Likelihood Model Averaging To Profile Clustering of Site Types across Discrete Linear Sequences

JeffreyTownsend — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:22:23 -0700

A major analytical challenge in computational biology is the detection and description of clusters of specified site types, such as polymorphic or substituted sites within DNA or protein sequences. Progress has been stymied by a lack of suitable methods to detect clusters and to estimate the extent of clustering in discrete linear sequences, particularly when there is no a priori specification of cluster size or cluster count. Here we derive and demonstrate a maximum likelihood method of hierarchical clustering.