Using Phylogenetic Trees

[This page was posted in 2013. The predictions made in the second paragraph have proven to be accurate.]

This website posts at the bottom of this page Fitch, Kitsch, and Neighbor phylogenetic trees, generated using the Fitch, Kitsch, and Neighbor applications from the Phylogeny Inference Package (“PHYLIP”) suite of genetic programs, that show, in tree format, inferred relationships among R1a-Y2619 Ashkenazi Levites. Those applications place R1a-Y2619 Ashkenazi Levites on trees based upon each man's distance, in years, to an MRCA with each other man.

Generally speaking, men who are most closely related to each other should be grouped closely on the trees. Because of independent mutations and back-mutations, there will be some inaccuracies in the trees. Because SNPs do not back mutate without the back mutations being obvious, trees based upon SNPs should be more accurate than trees based upon STRs. In turn, it should be possible to tie SNPs to patterns of STR marker values for the purpose of placing on a tree men who have not had their Y-DNA SNPs tested.