GeoPhyloBuilder is a specialized software tool developed to bridge the gap between evolutionary biology and geography by constructing geophylogenies—3D spatial models that map evolutionary trees directly onto geographic landscapes. Developed by David Kidd and Xianhua Liu at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent), it allows scientists to visualize how species evolved across space and time simultaneously. What is a Geophylogeny?
Traditionally, researchers viewed evolutionary history through a two-dimensional phylogenetic tree (family tree) and geographic distribution through a flat map. A geophylogeny fuses these data models together. It pins the “tips” (modern species) of an evolutionary tree to their actual physical collection coordinates on Earth. How GeoPhyloBuilder Works
GeoPhyloBuilder operates primarily as an extension for Esri’s ArcGIS software suite. It takes two main inputs and translates them into a single, cohesive GIS network model:
A Phylogenetic Tree File: A standard evolutionary tree (e.g., Newick format) containing branch lengths that represent time or genetic distance.
Geographical Features: Spatial data representing sample locations, which can be formatted as points, lines, or polygons. Core Technical Features
Leave a Reply