Phylogenetics (was RE: Dinosaurs Phylogenetic Tree for Matlab.)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

Okay, folks, one more time:

Phylogenetics is derived from the word "phylogeny".

Phylogenetics is the study to attempt to reconstruct phylogenies.

This is done via any heritable record: genes, genomes, soft-tissue and
hard-tissue morphologies, behaviors, etc.

Despite comments by some posters here, plenty of phylogenetic work on extant
organisms is done via morphology: say, for example, Livezy & Zusi's 2007
bird phylogeny (http://www.bio-nica.info/Biblioteca/Livezy2007Aves.pdf).

So I suggest everyone take a deep breath, and move on.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216                        
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661               

Faculty Director, Earth, Life & Time Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite/
Faculty Director, Science & Global Change Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/sgc
Fax: 301-405-0796

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
                        Building 237, Room 1117
                        University of Maryland
                        College Park, MD 20742 USA