Statistical Analyses Abstract Nunn, CL and KK Smith. The American Naturalist. SEquence changes have received much less attention than have changes in developmental rates, in part because few methods exist for comparing developmental sequences. Here, we present two methods to statistically evaluate developmental sequence changes.
Computer simulation is used to control for the nonindependence of species.
We examine the sequence of developmental events in the craniofacial region of marsupial and placental mammals. We conclude that the most important differences in development in the two clades relate to the relative sequence of development of the central nervous system and somatic elements of the craniofacial region. The rationale behind the methods and their limitations are discussed, and the results from this study are compared with a previous analysis.