Hi everyone,
I am pruning a phylogenetic tree (gene tree) to create a simplified figure with a smaller number of taxa represented. This process will involve collapsing and deleting numerous nodes (both terminal and internal). As a result, my pruned tree contain branches with multiple bootstrap values corresponding to those internal nodes that have been deleted.
Question: Should I show only the bootstrap value at the terminal end (leading to the taxon) and can I ignore bootstrap values belonging to internal nodes (that no longer exist as the other taxa are already pruned)?
Alternatively, should I just create a separate phylogenetic tree using this smaller, more representative set of taxa? I am only worried that this method might lead to sampling issues which can affect the bootstrap values.
For reference I am using iTOL for pruning and my trees are constructed by maximum likelihood.
Dear Klaus,
Thank you for the reply. If I could clarify with an example: With this tree,
And I want to prune it such that only taxa A and C are kept, I would represent the pruned tree with bootstraps B0 and B2, while omitting B1?
Thank you again for your help.
Best,
ZH