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Updated: Apr 5, 2026

A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts
Published on: February 5, 2014
Implementation as theory, hierarchy as transformation, homology as synapomorphy
Malte C Ebach1, David M Williams, Tegan A Vanderlaan
1School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia. mcebach@unsw.edu.au
Abstract:
Presently cladistics is based on, and justified by, a computer implementation (Wagner Parsimony) rather than sound methodological or theoretical foundations. In this paper, the recent goals of cladistics that are derived from computer implementations and 'tree-thinking' are discussed. The discussion raises a critical point, namely whether one can dispense with these recent goals and adopt a wholly systematic approach, one herein termed systematic thinking.
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