A practical guide to molecular dating

Molecular dating has now become a common tool for many biologists and considerable methodological improvements have been made over the last few years. However, the practice of estimating divergence times using molecular data is highly variable among researchers and it is not straightforward for a newcomer to the field to know how to start. Here I provide a brief overview of the current state-of-the-art of molecular dating practice. I review some of the important choices that must be made when conducting a divergence time analysis, including how to select and use calibrations and which relaxed clock model and program to use, with a focus on some practical aspects. I then provide some guidelines for the interpretation of results and briefly review some alternatives to molecular dating for obtaining divergence times. Last, I present some promising developments for the future of the field, related to the improvement of the calibration process.