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

[evelyn sobielski <koreke77@yahoo.de>]

> 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.

The "-gen-" part of "phylogenetic" in fact refers this heritability - and with 
regards to the "gen-" part of "genetics", it is really a case of linguistic 
homoplasy: same origin, different evolution, confusingly similar result.

> 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).

...and *ahem* by necessity everything involving only completely fossilized taxa.


Regards,

Eike