Overcoming problems with the use of ratios as continuous characters for phylogenetic analyses

摘要: The use of quantitative morphometric information for phylogenetic inference has been an intensely debated topic most the history systematics. Despite several drawbacks, common strategy to include this sort data into studies is ratios, that quotients between variables. Here, we discuss one particular problem associated with such methodology: fact often arbitrary election which variable serves as numerator and denominator affects outcome analysis. We describe cause effect, study its implications published matrices. Alternative coding schemes ratio characters result in very different hypotheses, effect may even be strong enough affect combine continuous discrete morphological information. Some resulting incongruence produced by differences magnitude involved, although rescaling techniques are shown decrease, but not eliminate, confounding effect. To eliminate problematic ratios should either log-transformed before their or replaced more effective ways capture