Chromosome number is a remarkably dynamic feature of eukaryotic evolution.
Chromosome numbers can change by a duplication of the whole genome (a process
termed polyploidy), or by single chromosome changes (ascending dysploidy via, e.g.,
chromosome fission or descending dysploidy via, e.g., chromosome fusion).
Of the various mechanisms of chromosome number change, polyploidy has received significant
attention because of the impact such an event may have on the organism.
ChromEvol implements a series of likelihood models for the evolution of chromosome numbers.
By comparing the fit of the different models to biological data, it may be possible to gain
insight regarding the pathways by which the evolution of chromosome number proceeds.
For each model, the program estimates the rates for the possible transitions assumed by the model,
infers the set of ancestral chromosome numbers, and estimates the location along the
tree for which polyploidy events (and other chromosome number changes) occurred.
For further methodological details, see the publications and manual on the Downloads page.
ChromEvol was first introduced in
Mayrose et al in 2010.
Further options and new evolutionary models were added in
Glick & Mayrose in 2014.
Version 2.0 is now available for download,
along with an external computational pipeline which fascilitates easy ploidy inference.
When citing the chromEvol program, please refer to:
Mayrose et al, 2010
and
Glick & Mayrose, 2014.