Space Versus Phylogeny: Disentangling Phylogenetic And Spatial Signals In Comparative Data

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 04 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Variation in traits across species or populations is the outcome of both environmental and historical factors.

Trait variation is therefore a function of both the phylogenetic and spatial context of species. Here we introduce a method that within a single framework estimates the relative roles of spatial and phylogenetic variation in comparative data.

The approach requires traits measured across phylogenetic units, e.g. species, the spatial occurrences of those units and a phylogeny connecting them.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences