The coup de grâce for the nested clade phylogeographic analysis?

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Abstract
Nested clade phylogeographic analysis (NCPA) has become a popular method for reconstructing the history of popula- tions across species ranges. Ever since its invention in 1995, criticisms have been formulated, but the method, which has been regularly updated, continues to attract investigators. Molecular Ecology has published a large fraction of the liter- ature on the topic — both pro and con. A recent study by Pan- chal and Beaumont (2007) finally allows a precise evaluation of the method by developing software that automates the somewhat complicated NCPA procedure. Using simulations of random-mating populations, Panchal and Beaumont find a high frequency of false-positives with their automated NCPA procedure (over 75%). These findings, which echo and amplify earlier warnings, appear serious enough to suggest to researchers to await further evaluation of the method. Although no other all- encompassing method such as the NCAP currently exists to evaluate phylogeographic data sets, researchers have many alternative methods to test ever more refined hypotheses.