RERconverge Bioinformatics Tool Updated with Faster Runtime and Enhanced Analysis Functions
Researchers have released an updated version of RERconverge, an R package used to identify genomic regions associated with convergent evolution across species. The update delivers processing speed improvements of up to 28.6 times and introduces two new analytical methods for outlier control. These enhancements make large-scale comparative genomics studies more feasible as genomic data become available for an increasing number of species.
RERconverge is an R package designed to test for associations between gene relative evolutionary rates (RERs) and convergent phenotypes — cases where unrelated lineages independently evolve similar traits. The newly described update overhauls core functions in the analysis pipeline, achieving runtime reductions by a factor of up to 28.6, a significant gain for researchers working with large genomic datasets. Two new analytical methods for outlier control have been added to the function that tests phenotype-RER associations, expanding the statistical toolkit available to users. The update also includes a consolidated summary of available statistical tests and their recommended use cases, improving usability and methodological transparency. The package and accompanying walkthrough vignettes remain openly available on GitHub, supporting reproducibility and broad adoption in the comparative genomics community.
What's missing
The study has not yet undergone peer review. The biological validity of the two new outlier-control methods relative to the original approach is not evaluated on empirical datasets in the abstract, leaving their practical performance characteristics unclear.
What different sources said
- bioRxivCenter
RERconverge Update: Runtime Reduction and Analysis Function Overhaul
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