Pologies where Balaur was recovered inside Avialae. This distinction was not statistically considerable according to the Templeton test (p > 0.7098, N > 61). Applying the dataset modified from Lee et al. (2014), we enforced a dromaeosaurid placement for Balaur, making use of the following backbone constraint: ((Balaur, Dromaeosaurus), Troodon, Meleagris). The shortest trees found applying that constraint are nine measures longer than the shortest unforced topologies, and placed Balaur as the basalmost dromaeosaurid, excluded in the ((Eudromaeosauria + Microraptoria) + Unenlagiinae) clade. This distinction was not statistically substantial depending on the Templeton test (p > 0.4400, N > 125). Ultimately, we also tested a velociraptorine placement for Balaur, employing the following backbone constraint: ((Balaur, Velociraptor), Dromaeosaurus, Troodon). The shortest trees identified making use of that constraint are 14 actions longer than the shortest unforced topologies, and placed Balaur because the basalmost velociraptorine. This difference was not statistically substantial determined by the Templeton test (p > 0.1580, N > 89).DISCUSSIONBalaur possesses a distinctive and bizarre mix of characters, quite a few of which were previously regarded exclusive to Deinonychosauria or Avialae, and which may well challenge its placement in either on the aforementioned clades. Godefroit et al. (2013b) tested option placements of Balaur among Paraves, and recovered the dromaeosaurid placement for that taxon as a suboptimal resolution. Right here, we have shown that an avialan placement for Balaur applying the original dataset of Brusatte et al. (2014) is a suboptimal solution that cannot be rejected utilizing that dataset. Despite the fact that one of the most parsimonious results of the two updated phylogenetic analyses presented here concur in resolving Balaur inside Avialae, the deinonychosaurian placement for this taxon discussed by Brusatte et al. (2013) could be only tentatively rejected determined by current information and facts. By far the most parsimonious placement was recovered below each equally weighted and implied weighting analyses, suggesting that the avialan placement of Balaur was not biased by a priori assumptions on homoplasiousCau et al. (2015), PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.23/character downweighting. Nonetheless, what ever the placement for Balaur, a important quantity PubMed ID:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19996384 of homoplasy, as a consequence of each convergences and reversals, is necessary to clarify its distinctive morphology. The sister taxon connection recovered among Balaur along with the short-tailed Sapeornis–resulting from evaluation of your dataset modified from Brusatte et al. (2014)–is rather unexpected, and might be partially biased by the placement with the long-tailed Jeholornis and Jixiangornis as closer to other short-tailed birds than Histone Acetyltransferase Inhibitor II Sapeornis (a partnership also recovered by the original dataset, Brusatte et al., 2014). According to that topology, the quick pygostyle-bearing tail of Sapeornis evolved independently with the same situation in additional crownward birds. The topology that results from our use from the dataset modified from Lee et al. (2014) agrees with most analyses of avialan relationships (e.g., Cau Arduini, 2008; O’Connor, Chiappe Bell, 2011; O’Connor et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2014) in depicting a single origin of your pygostylian tail amongst birds. Right here we must note that topological discrepancies and option placements of problematic taxa could be influenced by artefacts in coding practice, or by the logical basis of character statement definition followed by diverse authors (Brazeau, 201.
