We will also explore published heterogeneity tests before combining data. Conflicts between morphological and molecular results in Pryer et al. Our goal is to obtain a best estimate of the organismal phylogeny that demonstrates a thoughtful and careful analysis taking into account current controversial issues just mentioned, so that we can have confidence in the overall phylogenetic framework proposed and in the patterns of character evolution that we will infer. Phylogenetic analysis methods . Regions of the alignments for which homology of residues cannot be reasonably assumed will be excluded from phylogenetic analyses.
Comparative methods analyses .
Comparative biology searches for evidence of correlated evolution for two or more traits across a group of species. A phylogeny allows estimation of the number of times that a trait evolved and the direction or temporal sequence of character transformation. Establishing the order of evolution of traits is critical in choosing among alternative evolutionary explanations. These studies can provide insight into the origin of characters that were key events in the early evolution and diversification of ferns. Based on the conclusions of our findings we will investigate statistical tests that can determine whether different characters that exist in discrete states show evidence for correlated evolution in the context of phylogeny.