Visual Triangulation of Network-Based Phylogenetic Trees

Abstract

Phylogenetic trees are built by examining differences in the biological traits of a set of species. An example of such a trait is a biological network such as a metabolic pathway, common to all species but with subtle differences in each. Phylogenetic trees of metabolic pathways represent multiple aspects of similarity and hypothetical evolution in a single, yet complex structure that is difficult to understand and interpret. We present a visualization method that facilitates analysis of such structures by presenting multiple coordinated perspectives simultaneously. Each of these perspectives constitutes a useful visualization in its own right, but it is only together that they unfold their full explorative power.