The average rate at which a species' genome accumulates mutations, used to measure their evolutionary divergence and in other calculations.
Example sentencesExamples
Here, we discuss the usefulness and limitations of molecular clocks in studying avian evolution, with emphasis on the use of an accurate calibration point.
The majority of the fossils used for calibration of avian molecular clocks have uncertain phylogenetic relationships.
We introduce a parametric model that relaxes the molecular clock by allowing rates to vary across lineages according to a compound Poisson process.
Divergence times of living species, estimated from molecular clocks, have the potential to constrain hypotheses of the relationships of fossil species.
Before we can draw inferences from a molecular clock, we must calibrate its ‘ticking rate.’
Definition of molecular clock in US English:
molecular clock
noun
Genetics
The average rate at which a species' genome accumulates mutations, used to measure their evolutionary divergence and in other calculations.
Example sentencesExamples
Here, we discuss the usefulness and limitations of molecular clocks in studying avian evolution, with emphasis on the use of an accurate calibration point.
We introduce a parametric model that relaxes the molecular clock by allowing rates to vary across lineages according to a compound Poisson process.
The majority of the fossils used for calibration of avian molecular clocks have uncertain phylogenetic relationships.
Divergence times of living species, estimated from molecular clocks, have the potential to constrain hypotheses of the relationships of fossil species.
Before we can draw inferences from a molecular clock, we must calibrate its ‘ticking rate.’