Rooting phylogenies using gene duplications: An empirical example from the bees (Apoidea)

► We provide a rare empirical comparison of outgroup versus paralog gene rooting in bees. ► Using paralogs of EF1α, we find evidence against some hypothesized positions for the bee root. ► Outgroup rooting outperforms paralog rooting in our dataset. ► We discuss implications for paralog rooting as a general strategy.