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Timeless characters: a response to Vermeij (1999)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2016

Daniel L. Geiger,
Kirk Fitzhugh and
Christine E. Thacker
Daniel L. Geiger
Affiliation:
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007. E-mail: dgeiger@nhm.org
Kirk Fitzhugh
Affiliation:
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007. E-mail: kfitzhug@nhm.org
Christine E. Thacker
Affiliation:
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007. E-mail: thacker@nhm.org
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Extract

The use of geologic age or range data in phylogenetic reconstruction is strongly debated (Cracraft and Eldredge 1979; Smith 1994; Fox et al. 1999; Heyning and Thacker 1999). Vermeij (1999) voiced concern regarding ‘rectangular data matrices’ and concluded that stratigraphic data are particularly suitable for improving phylogenetic inference. We find two major problems with his conclusion and question the validity of stratocladistics or any other phylogenetic method incorporating temporal data (e.g., Wagner 1998).

Information

Type
Comment and Reply
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , Winter 2001, pp. 177 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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References

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