Pattern and Process

[Alberto Correa de Vasconcellos]

                    PATTERN AND PROCESS



                   WHEN TO SAY NO TO THEM ?



The cladistic methodology is well known for not being a static line

of research.  Every moment a new discussion is in evidence and new ideas

are presented.



Nowadays two line of workers can be seen, those who see cladograms

as phylogenetic trees (patterns), and another group who does not accept

such idea (transformers).  However, such break down leads to some

misunderstandings when one uses the methodology for accessing the

biogeography of a group.



How can we read a cladogram of a group and not see any historical

relationships between clades and use the same information in a

biogeographic analysis using another point of view?



Why when we are trying to access the phylogeny of a set of species we

can have the facility to flip branches and cannot do the same in area

cladograms?



If the main source for an area cladogram is the same cladogram worked on

during the phylogenetic analysis of that group, how we can read them in

two different ways?



An area cladogram is a simple cladogram or a phylogenetic tree?



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      Alberto Correa de Vasconcellos

      R. Pereira da Silva, 140/301

      Laranjeiras   Rio de Janeiro

      22221-140     Rio de Janeiro Brasil

      E-mail: acvascon at ax.ibase.br

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