Phylogenetic Analysis of Morphological Data

In this volume, eleven leading systematists provide an overview of recent advances and controversies in morphological phylogenetics. They summarize new methodological developments—including approaches for analyzing ontogenetic data, fossils, morphometric characters, intraspecific variation, and hybrid taxa—and review published studies to evaluate how morphological phylogenetics has actually been practiced. They also discuss the relationship between morphological and molecular systematics, and address the controversial use of morphology-based phylogenies to study the evolution of morphological characters.

This volume is the first dedicated to morphological phylogenetics. It will be a valuable synthesis for all phylogenetic biologists, including molecular and morphological systematists, paleontologists and neontologists, and botanists and zoologists.“Biologists, some with specialties, and a paleontologist summarize research on selected topics relating to using a phylogenetic framework to understand how plants and animals, their traits, and interactions between species evolve. The eight studies are from the 1996 symposium Morphological Data in Phylogenetic Analysis: Recent Progress and Unresolved Problems, held in St. Louis, Missouri.”—Book NewsJohn J. Wiens is assistant curator in the Section of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh.Eight studies summarize and evaluate new methodological developments and actual practices of morphological phylogenetics.