An investigation into the application of the Wagner parsimony method in synecology |
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Authors: | André Nel Jacques Nel Gérard Masselot Alain Thomas |
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Institution: | Laboratory of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, 45 rue Buffon, F-75005, Paris, France;Laboratory of Hydrobiology, University Paul Sabatier, 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062, Toulouse Cedex 4, France |
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Abstract: | Synecological analyses are usually based on typological, phenetic and cladistic methods. The disadvantages of these techniques are shown. The application of the Wagner parsimony method to synecology is considered. All the methods need some prerequisites, viz. definitions of localities and characters (the most simple one being the presence/absence of taxa); the choice of taxonomic level of taxa; their autochthony. The application of Wagner parsimony needs a new terminology. The congruence of any environmental condition, including freshwater monitoring indices, can be tested on parsimonious trees. The Wagner parsimony method not only provides various indices (tree length, CI, HI, RC, RI) which allow the comparison of trees but also minimal trees which are direct tools in synecology. |
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Keywords: | phenetics cladistics cladochronology community ecology |
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