Hybrids in real time.

We describe some new and recent results that allow for the analysis and representation of reticulate evolution by non-tree networks. In particular, we (1) present a simple result to show that, despite the presence of reticulation, there is always a well-defined underlying tree that corresponds to those parts of life that do not have a history of reticulation; (2) describe and apply new theory for determining the smallest number of hybridization events required to explain conflicting gene trees; and (3) present a new algorithm to determine whether an arbitrary rooted network can be realized by contemporaneous reticulation events. We illustrate these results with examples. [Directed acyclic graph; reticulate evolution; hybrid species; sub-tree prune and re-graft.].