Statistical Methods in Phylogenetic and Evolutionary Inferences

Molecular instruments are the most accurate methods in organisms’identification and characterization. Biologists are often involved in studies where the main goal is to identify relationships among individuals. In this framework, it is very important to know and apply the most robust approaches to infer correctly these relationships, allowing the right conclusions about phylogeny. In this review, we will introduce the reader to the most used statistical methods in phylogenetic analyses, the Maximum Likelihood and the Bayesian approaches, considering for simplicity only analyses regardingDNA sequences. Several studieswill be showed as examples in order to demonstrate how the correct phylogenetic inference can lead the scientists to highlight very peculiar features in pathogens biology and evolution