Parsimony, Synapomorphy, and Explanatory Power: a Reply to Duncan
Saether, O. A. 1983. The canalized evolutionary potential. Inconsistencies in phylogenetic reasoning. Syst. Zoo!. 32(4): 343-359. Sober, E. 1975. Simplicity. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Thomas, W. W. 1984. The systematics of Rhynchospora section Dichromena. Mem. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 37: 1-116. Wagner, W. H., Jr. 1961. Problems in the classification of ferns. In: Recent advances in botany, vol. 1, pp. 841-844. Univ. Toronto Press, Toronto. --. 1980. Origin and philosophy ofthe groundplan-divergence method ofcladistics. Syst. Bot. 5: 173-193. Wiley, E. O. 1981. Phylogenetics. The theory and practice ofphylogenetic systematics. John Wiley & Sons, New York. Steven P. Churchill, New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY 10458, U.S.A.: E. O. Wiley, Museum ofNatural History and Department ofSystematics and Ecology. University ofKansas, Lawrence. KS 66045. U.S.A.; and Larry A. Hauser. Department ofBotany, University ofIllinois. Urbana. IL 61801. U.S.A. PARSIMONY, SYNAPOMORPHY, AND EXPLANATORY POWER: A REPLY TO DUNCAN According to Duncan (1984), "directed character compatibility [clique] analysis is equivalent to Hennig's method," because Hennig restricts the term synapomorphy "to shared apornorphies that are postulated to be uniquely derived." The connection between Hennig's method and parsimony analysis, Duncan maintains, is a misconception that arose because "Farris, [Kluge and Eckardt] (1970) redefine synapomorphy to include shared non-uniquely derived characters, abandon Hennig's criterion that monophyly be based on shared uniquely derived character states, and arbitrarily impose the criterion of parsimony on Hennig's method." The crux of Duncan's argument, then, is his claim concerning Hennig's definition of synapomorphy. In the usual conception, if an apomorphic trait shared by two taxa is inherited from a common ancestor, then this constitutes synapomorphy.
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