ABSTRACT
Distance analysis compresses the original information from an organism into an overall similarity measure that is then processed by a deterministic algorithm. Corrections for multiple hits and other models of evolutionary change can be incorporated into distance analysis. Neighbor joining is an algorithm-based distance method for tree building that attempts to place species that are more closely related to each other into clusters. Minimum evolution assesses the total distance that would be needed for multiple tree topologies and chooses the one where the amount of distance needed is minimal.
