Open AccessThe statistical reliability of synapomorphic analyses
Author(s) -
Sneath P. H. A.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8312.1996.tb01448.x
Subject(s) - synapomorphy , biology , taxon , cladistics , statistical hypothesis testing , statistical significance , statistical analysis , reliability (semiconductor) , evolutionary biology , statistics , phylogenetic tree , paleontology , mathematics , genetics , clade , physics , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , gene
A statistical test has been developed to ascertain whether a given number of presumptive synapomorphies between one pair of taxa is significantly greater than the number between another pair of taxa. This is shown to be a form of testing the significance of a difference between two proportions. It is necessary first to adjust for common patterns of synapomorphy that raise or lower both numbers. The method has been checked by simulation, and is illustrated by data on the relationships of tetrapods. It proves that Hennigian cladistics has statistical constraints.