Fossilization processes have little impact on tip‐calibrated divergence time analyses

The importance of palaeontological data in divergence time estimation has increased with the introduction Bayesian total-evidence dating methods, which use fossil taxa directly for calibration, facilitated by joint analysis morphological and molecular data. Fossil are invariably incompletely known as a consequence taphonomic processes, resulting decidedly non-random distribution missing impact on accuracy precision clade age is unknown. In an attempt to constrain taphonomy tip-calibrated analyses, we compared ages estimated from very complete matrix same permuted simulate progressive loss anatomical information processes. We demonstrate that systematically distributed negatively influence estimates, but successive stages within process introduce greater differences when estimates obtained untreated Despite these effects, general weak, presumably due compensatory effect extensive extant taxa. suggest that, absence models can explicitly account datasets should be constructed minimize estimation.