Cladistics and "Eclecticism"

[Thomas Lammers]

At 06:39 PM 1/30/02 -0800, you wrote:

 >>Cladists simply believe that these things can best be studied in the
context of recognized lineage groups.<<

I concur.  My problem is that I do not believe the assumptions and
methodologies of cladistics (all speciation is dichotomous, ancestral taxa
go extinct at the point of bifurcation, etc.) allow us to ecover
"recognized lineage groups".  The method is hamstrung by these
assumptions.  A better methodology would accomodate reticulate evolution
and the founder principle.


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
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