Phenetic Methods in Taxonomy

Abstract

As pointed out in chapter 1 (Figure1.1), phenetic clustering methods, in which taxa are grouped on the basis of overall similarity, neither provide reliable evidence of evolutionary relationships, nor form a sound basis for classification. Nevertheless, they still have several important roles in taxonomic work, particularly in identification and in determining whether samples of specimens comprise one or more distinct entities. Because pheneticists and their methods frequently deal with individuals or populations as well as with species and higher taxa, they often refer to operational taxonomic units (OTUs) as a convenient cover-all term.