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Phylogenetic Nomenclature, Hierarchical Information, and Testability

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Abstract

  • In a continuing debate about the usefulness of phylogenetic nomenclature, Platnick (2012) has apparently conceded the two main points of our previous paper (de Queiroz and Donoghue 2011) by providing no counter-arguments. First, contrary to Platnick’s previous assertions, when appropriate comparisons are made (i.e., between taxonomies consisting of the same named groups), there are no differences in information content, as measured by implied three-taxon statements, between hierarchical taxonomies whose names are governed by rank-based versus phylogenetic nomenclature. The reason is that three-taxon informativeness is a property of the clades that are recognized (the taxonomy) rather than of the rules governing their names (the nomenclatural system). Second, phylogenetic nomenclature outperforms its rank-based counterpart when the approaches are compared using a nomenclaturally relevant criterion. Specifically, phylogenetically defined names result in fewer unnecessary name changes in the context of new phylogenetic hypotheses.

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  • 2013

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