Inference of phylogenetic networks in the presence of hybridization, horizontal transfer or recombination.

系统发生树用来表示物种的进化史。它们通常是通过使用基于简单进化模型的方法重建单个基因的系统发育而获得的。生物学家对更复杂的进化模型越来越感兴趣。可用序列数据的增长使得使用多个基因或整个基因组来估计进化史变得更加容易。可以采用更复杂的进化模型，包括基因丢失和复制、杂交、水平基因转移或重组。系统发育网络需要适应这种网状事件。这个项目的目的是开发一套强大的方法来推断系统发育网络。基于我们之前对隐式描述网状进化的分裂网络的研究，我们将建立新的方法来计算网状网络，明确地模拟存在杂交、重组和其他网状事件的进化。

Phylogenetic trees are used to represent the evolutionary history of species. They are often obtained by reconstructing the phylogeny of individual genes, using methods that are based on simple models of evolution, Biologists are becoming increasingly interested in more complex models of evolution. The growth of available sequence data is making it easier to estimate evolutionary history using multiple genes or whole genomes. More complex models of evolution involving gene loss and duplication, hybridization, horizontal gene transfer or recombination, can be employed. Phylogenetic networks are required to accommodate such reticulate events.The aim of this project is to develop a suite of robust methods for inferring phylogenetic networks. Based on our previous work on split networks, which implicitly describe reticulate evolution, new methods will be established for computing reticulate networks that explicitly model evolution in the presence of hybridization, recombination and other reticulate events.