Tracy Heath
Tracy Heath

Associate Professor
Dept. Ecology, Evolution, & Organismal Biology
Iowa State University

Arrival and Departure

June 27 to June 6

Contact Information

Research

Tracy
Tracy

I develop statistical models for use as priors in Bayesian methods for phylogenetic inference. In particular, I’m interested in divergence-time estimation – e.g. modeling rate variation across the tree of life, diversification processes, and methods for incorporating information from the fossil record.

2022 Course

Lecture: Bayesian Divergence Time Estimation

Tutorial: Estimating a Time-Calibrated Phylogeny of Fossil and Extant Taxa using Morphological Data

Suggested Reading

Graphical Models & RevBayes

  • Höhna, Landis, Heath, Boussau, Lartillot, Moore, Huelsenbeck, Ronquist. 2016. RevBayes: Bayesian phylogenetic inference using graphical models and an interactive model-specification language. Systematic Biology, 65:726-736. [link]

  • Höhna, Heath, Boussau, Landis, Ronquist, Huelsenbeck. 2014. Probabilistic graphical model representation in phylogenetics. Systematic Biology, 63:753–771. [link]

Divergence-Time Estimation

  • Thorne and Kishino. 2005. Estimation of divergence times from molecular sequence data. In: Nielsen R, editor, Statistical Methods in Molecular Evolution. New York: Springer, pp. 235–256. [PDF]

  • Pett, Heath. 2020. Inferring the timescale of phylogenetic trees from fossil data. Eds: C. Scornavacca, F. Delsuc, N. Galtier. Phylogenetics in the Genomic Era. No commercial publisher | Authors open access book, pp: 5.1:1-5.1:18. [link]

  • Barido-Sottani, Justison, Wright, Warnock, Pett, Heath. 2020. Estimating a time-calibrated phylogeny of fossil and extant taxa using RevBayes. Eds: C. Scornavacca, F. Delsuc, N. Galtier. Phylogenetics in the Genomic Era. No commercial publisher | Authors open access book, pp: 5.2:1-5.2:23. [link]

  • dos Reis, Donoghue, Yang. 2016. Bayesian molecular clock dating of species divergences in the genomics era. Nature Reviews Genetics, 17, pages 71–80. [link]

  • also see references in divergence-time tutorial

Additional Tutorials

  • More RevBayes tutorials link

  • BEAST 2 tutorials link