On the Selection and Analysis of Clades in Comparative Evolutionary Studies

Steven Poe; Christopher Anderson; Joseph Barnett

doi:10.1093/sysbio/syaa022

On the Selection and Analysis of Clades in Comparative Evolutionary Studies

Systematic Biology ◽

10.1093/sysbio/syaa022 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 190-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Steven Poe ◽

Christopher Anderson ◽

Joseph Barnett

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Comparative Studies ◽

Comparative Biology ◽

Units Of Analysis ◽

Evolutionary Studies ◽

Biological Insight ◽

Taxonomic Groups ◽

Named Groups ◽

Clade Selection

Abstract Researchers commonly present results of comparative studies of taxonomic groups. In this review, we criticize the focus on named clades, usually, comparably ranked groups such as families or orders, for comparative evolutionary analyses and question the general practice of using clades as units of analysis. The practice of analyzing sets of named groups persists despite widespread appreciation that the groups we have chosen to name are based on subjective human concerns rather than objective properties of nature. We demonstrate an effect of clade selection on results in one study and present some potential alternatives to selecting named clades for analysis that are relatively objective in clade choice. However, we note that these alternatives are only partial solutions for clade-based studies. The practice of analyzing named clades obviously is biased and problematic, but its issues portend broader problems with the general approach of employing clades as units of analysis. Most clade-based studies do not account for the nonindependence of clades, and the biological insight gained from demonstrating some pattern among a particular arbitrary sample of groups is arguable. [Clades; comparative biology; taxonomic groups.]

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The Internal Dynamics of Ethnicity: Clan Names, Origins and Castes in Southern Zimbabwe

Africa ◽

10.3366/afr.2004.74.2.173 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 173-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Björn Lindgren

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Comparative Studies ◽

Internal Dynamics ◽

Units Of Analysis ◽

Complex Picture

AbstractSince the late 1960s, researchers have primarily regarded ethnicity as the result of increasing international relations, and thus often as a comparative phenomenon. Although this research has been immensely important for its critique of essentialist notions of ethnicity, analyses of the historically formed specificity of ethnicity have been somewhat neglected. In this article, using an example from Zimbabwe, the author highlights the internal dynamics of ethnicity. The article shows how people in southern Zimbabwe use various clan names, origins, and ‘castes’ in a practice of naming, and how this practice breaks the category Ndebele into parts. The author argues that instead of studying ethnic categories as unbreakable wholes, focusing on smaller units of analysis gives a more complex picture of ethnicity. This view challenges some more or less established truths on ethnicity deduced from comparative studies.

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Widespread Biases in Ecological and Evolutionary Studies

BioScience ◽

10.1093/biosci/biz063 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 69 (8) ◽

pp. 631-640 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zachary W Culumber ◽

Jaime M Anaya-Rojas ◽

William W Booker ◽

Alexandra P Hooks ◽

Elizabeth C Lange ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Present Article ◽

Evolutionary Biology ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

The State ◽

Wide Range ◽

Evolutionary Studies ◽

Geographic Regions ◽

Taxonomic Groups ◽

Tropical Systems

Abstract There has been widespread discussion of biases in the sciences. The extent of most forms of bias has scarcely been confronted with rigorous data. In the present article, we evaluated the potential for geographic, taxonomic, and citation biases in publications between temperate and tropical systems for nine broad topics in ecology and evolutionary biology. Across 1,800 papers sampled from 60,000 peer-reviewed, empirical studies, we found consistent patterns of bias in the form of increased numbers of studies in temperate systems. Tropical studies were nearly absent from some topics. Furthermore, there were strong taxonomic biases across topics and geographic regions, as well as evidence for citation biases in many topics. Our results indicate a strong geographic imbalance in publishing patterns and among different taxonomic groups across a wide range of topics. The task ahead is to address what these biases mean and how they influence the state of our knowledge in ecology and evolution.

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Nothing Wrong with the Analysis of Clades in Comparative Evolutionary Studies: A Reply to Poe et al

Systematic Biology ◽

10.1093/sysbio/syaa067 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 197-201

Author(s):

Joanna Baker ◽

Andrew Meade ◽

Mark Pagel ◽

Chris Venditti

Keyword(s):

Comparative Methods ◽

Phylogenetic Comparative Methods ◽

Evolutionary Study ◽

Evolutionary Studies ◽

Clade Selection

Abstract In a recent paper, Poe et al. assert that scientists should abandon clade-based approaches, particularly those using named taxonomic ranks. Poe et al. attempt to demonstrate that clade selection can have effects on the results of evolutionary analyses but unfortunately fall short of making any robust conclusions. Here, we demonstrate that the assertions made by Poe et al. have two important flaws: (i) an erroneous view of modern phylogenetic comparative methods; and (ii) a lack of statistical rigor in their analyses. We repeat Poe et al.’s analysis but using appropriate phylogenetic comparative approaches. We demonstrate that results remain consistent regardless of the clade definition. We go on to discuss the value of taxonomic groupings and how they can provide meaningful units of comparison in evolutionary study. Unlike the disheartening suggestion to abandon the use of clades, scientists can instead continue to use phylogenetic “ corrections” that are already the standard for most comparative evolutionary analyses. [Comparative methods; evolution; phylogeny; taxonomy.]

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