Neighbor-net

NeighborNet[1] is an algorithm for constructing phylogenetic networks which is loosely based on the neighbor joining algorithm.

Like neighbor joining, the method takes a distance matrix as input, and works by agglomerating clusters.

However, the NeighborNet algorithm can lead to collections of clusters which overlap and do not form a hierarchy, and are represented using a type of phylogenetic network called a splits graph.

If the distance matrix satisfies the Kalmanson combinatorial conditions then Neighbor-net will return the corresponding circular ordering.

Examples of the application of Neighbor-net can be found in virology,[6] horticulture,[7] dinosaur genetics,[8] comparative linguistics,[9] and archaeology.

An example of a neighbor-net phylogenetic network generated by SplitsTree v4.6.