Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (160)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Darlu, P.
Right arrow Articles by Lecointre, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Darlu, P.
Right arrow Articles by Lecointre, G.
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Molecular Biology and Evolution 19:432-437 (2002)
© 2002 Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution

When Does the Incongruence Length Difference Test Fail?

Pierre Darlu and Guillaume Lecointre

*INSERM, U535 Génétique épidemiologique et Structure des populations humaines, Bâtiment Gregory Pincus, 80 rue du Général Leclerc, 94276 Le Kremlin Bicêtre Cedex;
{dagger}Laboratoire d'Ichtyologie, Service de systématique moléculaire, IFR-CNRS 1541, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 43 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris Cedex 05

This paper examines the efficiency of the incongruence length difference test (ILD) proposed by Farris et al. (1994) for assessing the incongruence between sets of characters. DNA sequences were simulated under various evolutionary conditions: (1) following symmetric or asymmetric trees, (2) with various mutation rates, (3) with constant or variable evolutionary rates along the branches, and (4) with different among-site substitution rates. We first compared two sets of sequences generated along the same tree and under the same evolutionary conditions. The probability of a Type-I error (wrongly rejecting the true hypothesis of congruence) was substantially below the standard 5% level of significance given by the ILD test; this finding indicates that the choice of the 5% level is rather conservative in this case. We then compared two data sets, still generated along the same tree, but under different evolutionary conditions (constant vs. variable evolutionary rate, homogeneity vs. heterogeneity rate of substitution). Under these conditions, the probability of rejecting the true hypothesis of congruence was greater than the 5% given by the ILD test and increased with the number of sites and the degree to which the tree was asymmetric. Finally, the comparison of the two data sets, simulated under contrasting tree structures (symmetric vs. asymmetric) but under the same evolutionary conditions, led us to reject the hypothesis of congruence, albeit weakly, particularly when the number of informative sites was low and among-site substitution rate heterogeneous. We conclude that the ILD test has only limited power to detect incongruence caused by differences in the evolutionary conditions or in the tree topology, except when numerous characters are present and the substitution rate is homogeneous from site to site.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Appl. Environ. Microbiol.Home page
G. Fourie, E. T. Steenkamp, T. R. Gordon, and A. Viljoen
Evolutionary Relationships among the Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Vegetative Compatibility Groups
Appl. Envir. Microbiol., July 15, 2009; 75(14): 4770 - 4781.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
A. A. Gontcharov and M. Melkonian
In search of monophyletic taxa in the family Desmidiaceae (Zygnematophyceae, Viridiplantae): the genus Cosmarium
Am. J. Botany, September 1, 2008; 95(9): 1079 - 1095.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
S.-T. Kim and M. J. Donoghue
Incongruence between cpDNA and nrITS trees indicates extensive hybridization within Eupersicaria (Polygonaceae)
Am. J. Botany, September 1, 2008; 95(9): 1122 - 1135.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
M. R. Duvall, J. W. Robinson, J. G. Mattson, and A. Moore
Phylogenetic analyses of two mitochondrial metabolic genes sampled in parallel from angiosperms find fundamental interlocus incongruence
Am. J. Botany, July 1, 2008; 95(7): 871 - 884.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
D. C. Tank and R. G. Olmstead
From annuals to perennials: phylogeny of subtribe Castillejinae (Orobanchaceae)
Am. J. Botany, May 1, 2008; 95(5): 608 - 625.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
J. W. Leigh, E. Susko, M. Baumgartner, and A. J. Roger
Testing Congruence in Phylogenomic Analysis
Syst Biol, February 1, 2008; 57(1): 104 - 115.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
M. L. Moody and D. H. Les
Phylogenetic systematics and character evolution in the angiosperm family Haloragaceae
Am. J. Botany, December 1, 2007; 94(12): 2005 - 2025.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
K. K. M. Kulju, S. E. C. Sierra, S. G. A. Draisma, R. Samuel, and P. C. v. Welzen
Molecular phylogeny of Macaranga, Mallotus, and related genera (Euphorbiaceae s.s.): insights from plastid and nuclear DNA sequence data
Am. J. Botany, October 1, 2007; 94(10): 1726 - 1743.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
M. D. Pirie, M. P. B. Vargas, M. Botermans, F. T. Bakker, and L. W. Chatrou
Ancient paralogy in the cpDNA trnL-F region in Annonaceae: implications for plant molecular systematics
Am. J. Botany, June 1, 2007; 94(6): 1003 - 1016.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
D. L. J. Quicke, O. R. Jones, and D. R. Epstein
Correcting the Problem of False Incongruence Due to Noise Imbalance in the Incongruence Length Difference (ILD) Test
Syst Biol, June 1, 2007; 56(3): 496 - 503.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
MycologiaHome page
J.-M. Moncalvo, R. H. Nilsson, B. Koster, S. M. Dunham, T. Bernauer, P. B. Matheny, T. M. Porter, S. Margaritescu, M. Weiss, S. Garnica, et al.
The cantharelloid clade: dealing with incongruent gene trees and phylogenetic reconstruction methods
Mycologia, November 1, 2006; 98(6): 937 - 948.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
S. D. Smith and D. A. Baum
Phylogenetics of the florally diverse Andean clade Iochrominae (Solanaceae)
Am. J. Botany, August 1, 2006; 93(8): 1140 - 1153.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
E. K. Lienau, R. DeSalle, J. A. Rosenfeld, and P. J. Planet
Reciprocal Illumination in the Gene Content Tree of Life
Syst Biol, June 1, 2006; 55(3): 441 - 453.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
A. K Monro
The revision of species-rich genera: a phylogenetic framework for the strategic revision of Pilea (Urticaceae) based on cpDNA, nrDNA, and morphology
Am. J. Botany, March 1, 2006; 93(3): 426 - 441.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
T. H. Struck, G. Purschke, and K. M. Halanych
Phylogeny of Eunicida (Annelida) and Exploring Data Congruence Using a Partition Addition Bootstrap Alteration (PABA) Approach
Syst Biol, February 1, 2006; 55(1): 1 - 20.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
SIMHome page
G. C. Hunter, B. D. Wingfield, P. W. Crous, and M. J. Wingfield
A multi-gene phylogeny for species of Mycosphaerella occurring on Eucalyptus leaves.
Stud Mycol, January 1, 2006; 55: 147 - 161.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
BioinformaticsHome page
P. J. Planet and I. N. Sarkar
mILD: a tool for constructing and analyzing matrices of pairwise phylogenetic character incongruence tests
Bioinformatics, December 15, 2005; 21(24): 4423 - 4424.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
K. Yamane and T. Kawahara
Intra- and interspecific phylogenetic relationships among diploid Triticum-Aegilops species (Poaceae) based on base-pair substitutions, indels, and microsatellites in chloroplast noncoding sequences
Am. J. Botany, November 1, 2005; 92(11): 1887 - 1898.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
MycologiaHome page
E. Fournier, T. Giraud, C. Albertini, and Y. Brygoo
Partition of the Botrytis cinerea complex in France using multiple gene genealogies.
Mycologia, November 1, 2005; 97(6): 1251 - 1267.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
M. Kennedy, B. R. Holland, R. D. Gray, and H. G. Spencer
Untangling Long Branches: Identifying Conflicting Phylogenetic Signals Using Spectral Analysis, Neighbor-Net, and Consensus Networks
Syst Biol, August 1, 2005; 54(4): 620 - 633.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
A. P. Vogler, A. Cardoso, and T. G. Barraclough
Exploring Rate Variation Among and Within Sites in a Densely Sampled Tree: Species Level Phylogenetics of North American Tiger Beetles (Genus Cicindela)
Syst Biol, February 1, 2005; 54(1): 4 - 20.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
Y.-M. Yuan, S. Wohlhauser, M. Moller, J. Klackenberg, M. W. Callmander, and P. Kupfer
Phylogeny and Biogeography of Exacum (Gentianaceae): A Disjunctive Distribution in the Indian Ocean Basin Resulted from Long Distance Dispersal and Extensive Radiation
Syst Biol, February 1, 2005; 54(1): 21 - 34.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
C. Ane and M. J. Sanderson
Missing the Forest for the Trees: Phylogenetic Compression and Its Implications for Inferring Complex Evolutionary Histories
Syst Biol, February 1, 2005; 54(1): 146 - 157.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Mol Biol EvolHome page
M. Staats, P. van Baarlen, and J. A. L. van Kan
Molecular Phylogeny of the Plant Pathogenic Genus Botrytis and the Evolution of Host Specificity
Mol. Biol. Evol., February 1, 2005; 22(2): 333 - 346.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
G. M. Schneeweiss, P. Schonswetter, S. Kelso, and H. Niklfeld
Complex Biogeographic Patterns in Androsace (Primulaceae) and Related Genera: Evidence from Phylogenetic Analyses of Nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer and Plastid trnL-F Sequences
Syst Biol, December 1, 2004; 53(6): 856 - 876.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol.Home page
T. Adekambi and M. Drancourt
Dissection of phylogenetic relationships among 19 rapidly growing Mycobacterium species by 16S rRNA, hsp65, sodA, recA and rpoB gene sequencing
Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, November 1, 2004; 54(6): 2095 - 2105.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
J. Pons, T. G. Barraclough, K. Theodorides, A. Cardoso, and A. P. Vogler
Using Exon and Intron Sequences of the Gene Mp20 to Resolve Basal Relationships in Cicindela (Coleoptera:Cicindelidae)
Syst Biol, August 1, 2004; 53(4): 554 - 570.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
F. K. Barker, A. Cibois, P. Schikler, J. Feinstein, and J. Cracraft
Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation
PNAS, July 27, 2004; 101(30): 11040 - 11045.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Appl. Environ. Microbiol.Home page
S. F. Sarkar and D. S. Guttman
Evolution of the Core Genome of Pseudomonas syringae, a Highly Clonal, Endemic Plant Pathogen
Appl. Envir. Microbiol., April 1, 2004; 70(4): 1999 - 2012.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
E. V. Zakharov, M. S. Caterino, and F. A.H. Sperling
Molecular Phylogeny, Historical Biogeography, and Divergence Time Estimates for Swallowtail Butterflies of the Genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)
Syst Biol, April 1, 2004; 53(2): 193 - 215.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
N. P. Kandul, V. A. Lukhtanov, A. V. Dantchenko, J. W. S. Coleman, C. H. Sekercioglu, D. Haig, and N. E. Pierce
Phylogeny of Agrodiaetus Hubner 1822 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Inferred from mtDNA Sequences of COI and COII and Nuclear Sequences of EF1-{alpha}: Karyotype Diversification and Species Radiation
Syst Biol, April 1, 2004; 53(2): 278 - 298.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
B. N. Danforth, S. G. Brady, S. D. Sipes, and A. Pearson
Single-Copy Nuclear Genes Recover Cretaceous-Age Divergences in Bees
Syst Biol, April 1, 2004; 53(2): 309 - 326.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
A. L. Hipp, J. C. Hall, and K. J. Sytsma
Congruence Versus Phylogenetic Accuracy: Revisiting the Incongruence Length Difference Test
Syst Biol, February 1, 2004; 53(1): 81 - 89.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Syst BiolHome page
J. D. Weckstein
Biogeography Explains Cophylogenetic Patterns in Toucan Chewing Lice
Syst Biol, February 1, 2004; 53(1): 154 - 164.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Bot.Home page
K. J. Williams, W. J. Kress, and P. S. Manos
The phylogeny, evolution, and classification of the genus Globba and tribe Globbeae (Zingiberaceae): appendages do matter
Am. J. Botany, January 1, 2004; 91(1): 100 - 114.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
S. G. Brady
Evolution of the army ant syndrome: The origin and long-term evolutionary stasis of a complex of behavioral and reproductive adaptations
PNAS, May 27, 2003; 100(11): 6575 - 6579.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]



Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.