PhyloSuite v2: The development of an all-in-one, efficient and visualization-oriented suite for molecular dating analysis and other advanced features

Abstract

MCMCtree and r8s are among the most popular molecular dating tools in the current genomic era, but their utility is hampered by steep learning curves, particularly concerning input file formatting, the complexity of fossil calibration setup, tree visualization, and model selection. To enhance their usability and improve research efficiency, we developed three new tools: MDGUI (for molecular dating analysis), TimeTreeAnno (for timetree visualization), and MCMCTracer (for convergence assessment). We integrated these into the PhyloSuite v2 platform, along with MCMCtree and r8s plugins, to create a comprehensive molecular dating suite. Compared to existing solutions that we benchmarked, our toolkit offers a more intuitive interface and streamlined workflow, featuring visual calibration point configuration, support for multiple alignment formats, automated model selection and implementation for downstream analyses, one-click pause/resume functionality, multithreading acceleration, and on-demand MCMC convergence assessment and plotting. Furthermore, PhyloSuite v2 introduces other advanced features, including gene duplicate resolution during the extraction step, significantly accelerated data handling capabilities (specifically, format conversion and concatenation), deeper integration of the latest IQ-TREE models and functions, and further streamlining of the entire phylogenetic analysis workflow. The update also includes adaptation to high-resolution screens and numerous bug fixes. The source code for the new version of PhyloSuite is available at https://github.com/dongzhang0725/PhyloSuite.

Keywords

annotation / graphical user interface / MCMCtree / molecular dating / phylogenetic analysis / r8s / visualization

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2025 The Author(s). iMeta published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of iMeta Science.