# Parsimony via concensus

## TL;DR

This paper reveals a fundamental link between parsimony scores and tree rearrangements for unordered, reversible characters, impacting phylogenetic analysis and understanding of incongruence and recombination.

## Contribution

It establishes that for unordered, reversible characters, the parsimony score equals the number of tree rearrangements needed, offering new insights into consensus trees and character incongruence.

## Key findings

- Parsimony score equals the number of tree rearrangements for certain characters.
- Implications for consensus tree debates and total evidence approaches.
- Connection between character incongruence and recombination.

## Abstract

The parsimony score of a character on a tree equals the number of state changes required to fit that character onto the tree. We show that for unordered, reversible characters this score equals the number of tree rearrangements required to fit the tree onto the character. We discuss implications of this connection for the debate over the use of consensus trees or total evidence, and show how it provides a link between incongruence of characters and recombination.