PHYLOGENETIC COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LIFE-HISTORY VARIATION AMONG POPULATIONS OF THE LIZARD SCELOPORUS UNDULATUS: AN EXAMPLE AND PROGNOSIS

Evolution ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Niewiarowski ◽  
Michael J. Angilletta ◽  
Adam D. Leaché
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Sceloporus Undulatus ◽  
Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis

scholarly journals Perspectives from Montiaceae (Portulacineae) Evolution. II. Ecological Evolution, Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis, and the Principle of Evolutionary Idiosyncraticity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hershkovitz
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Self Similarity ◽  
Ecological Diversification ◽  
Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis ◽  
Ecological Evolution ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Niche Diversification ◽  
Evolution Proceeds

The present paper reviews evidence for ecological evolution of Montiaceae. Montiaceae (Portulacineae) comprise a family of ca. 275 species and ca. 25 subspecific taxa of flowering plants distributed mainly in extreme western America, with additional endemism elsewhere, including other continents and islands. They have diversified repeatedly across steep ecological gradients. Based on narrative analysis, I argue that phylogenetic transitions from annual to perennial life history have been more frequent than suggested by computational phylogenetic reconstructions. I suggest that a reported phylogenetic correlation between the evolution of life history and temperature niche is coincidental and not causal. I demonstrate how statistical phylogenetic comparative analysis (PhCA) missed evidence for marked moisture niche diversification among Montiaceae. I discount PhCA evidence for the relation between Montiaceae genome duplication and ecological diversification. Based on the present analysis of Montiaceae evolution, I criticize the premise of the prevalent statistical approach to PhCA, which tests Darwinian deterministic hypotheses against stochastic evolutionary null models. I discuss theoretical/empirical evidence that evolution is neither stochastic, nor Darwinistically-determined, but idiosyncratic. Idiosyncraticity describes the outcome of a stochastically perturbed nonlinear chaos-like process. The Principle of Evolutionary Idiosyncraticity (PEI) is based on the evolutionary theory of Natural Drift, which maintains that determinism in evolution is a property of the organism and not, as maintained by the theory of Natural Selection, its traits or its milieu. This determinism is characteristic of chaotic functions, which are absolutely determinate, generate self-similarity, but remain absolutely unpredictable. PEI explains precisely observations that evolution proceeds not linearly, but chaotically, producing both quasi-linear fractal-like patterns and non-linear jumps. PEI has ramifications for all areas of macroevolutionary research. In particular, it demonstrates both the fallacy and futility of the statistical PhCA approach that interprets evolutionary causes in terms of evolutionary correlations. However, statistical methods of PhCA can be applied heuristically and fruitfully to reveal idiosyncraticity and discover evolutionary novelty. This, in turn, is demonstrated by the emergence of statistical anomalies in evolutionary analyses of Montiaceae.

scholarly journals CLIMATE AND LIFE-HISTORY EVOLUTION IN EVENING PRIMROSES (OENOTHERA, ONAGRACEAE): A PHYLOGENETIC COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Evolution ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 59 (9) ◽  
pp. 1914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret E. K. Evans ◽  
David J. Hearn ◽  
William J. Hahn ◽  
Jennifer M. Spangle ◽  
D. Lawrence Venable
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis ◽  
History Evolution

scholarly journals CLIMATE AND LIFE-HISTORY EVOLUTION IN EVENING PRIMROSES (OENOTHERA, ONAGRACEAE): A PHYLOGENETIC COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Evolution ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 59 (9) ◽  
pp. 1914-1927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret E. K. Evans ◽  
David J. Hearn ◽  
William J. Hahn ◽  
Jennifer M. Spangle ◽  
D. Lawrence Venable
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis ◽  
History Evolution
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