Gorenstein property for phylogenetic trivalent trees (Q2662161)

The authors investigate phylogenetic tree models: rooted trees with matrices of transitions between finitely many states assigned to edges. They consider group-based models, i.e., ones with symmetries determined by a finite abelian group action. They establish several properties of such models by investigating geometric and combinatorial objects associated to a tree model: a toric variety and a lattice polytope. The article under review starts with the proof that for a tripod tree and a group of symmetries of even cardinality the associated algebraic variety is not projectively normal. Then the authors investigate model for \(\mathbb{Z}_3\) and claw trees, and describe facets of associated polytopes. The next result concerns the Gorenstein property for polytopes associated to a trivalent tree and a small group of symmetries: for \(\mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2\) the polytope is Gorenstein of index 4 and for \(\mathbb{Z}_3\) it is Gorenstein of index 3. Finally, the authors prove the normality of associated polytopes for claw trees and \(\mathbb{Z}_3\).