JOINT RECONSTRUCTION OF DIVERGENCE TIMES AND LIFE‐HISTORY EVOLUTION IN PLACENTAL MAMMALS USING A PHYLOGENETIC COVARIANCE MODEL

Violation of the molecular clock has been amply documented, and is now routinely taken into account by molecular dating methods. Comparative analyses have revealed a systematic component in rate variation, relating it to the evolution of life-history traits, such as body size or generation time. Life-history evolution can be reconstructed using Brownian models. However, the resulting estimates are typically uncertain, and potentially sensitive …