Functional Analysis and the Practice of the Phylogenetic Method as Reflected by Some Mammalian Studies
Open Access
- 1 February 1981
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in American Zoologist
- Vol. 21 (1) , 37-45
- https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/21.1.37
Abstract
SYNOPSIS. The reliability of a phylogenetic hypothesis is largely dependent on the diversity and abundance of characters. The meaning and complexity of these is furthermore a significant factor in choosing some characters over others to reflect the relative recency of taxa. Studying mechanical function and biological roles of character complexes yields new characters anda more profound appreciation of the “known” ones. This growth in available information invariably results in more convincing assembly of morphocline polarities or more clearly established homologies. This procedure of character analysis permits the construction of phylogenies whichare more probable and based more securely on the foundations of any phylogeny: biologically researched homologies. When ontogenetic, functional and adaptational studies result in equivocalveiws, as to the polarity of a character cline, often the fossil record offers a clear and testable hypothesis on character cline polarity.Keywords
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