Seminar in Comparative Biology
This is the home page of the UConn EEB department's Seminar in Comparative Biology. This (Fall 2007) semester, we are meeting each Monday at 11:30am in the Bamford Conference Room in the Torrey Life Science building.
Possible papers for discussion
A separate EEBedia page, Comparative Biology Papers, has been created for listing possible papers for discussion. Feel free to add to it!
Schedule for Fall Semester 2007
The papers for discussion are available as PDF files, but to keep us from getting into hot water with the journals involved, a username and password are required for access. If you have forgotten the username/password, please contact Paul Lewis.
Note: in addition to this web site, we will be using the Systematics Listserv for communication because this seminar is taking the place of the Systematics Seminar this semester.
Click here for information about joining and using the Systematics email list
To upload a pdf use this form (username/password required)
August 29, 2007
- Organizational meeting, Bamford Conference Room, 4pm
September 10, 2007
- Paul's notes explaining Felsenstein's paper in greater detail for those interested. The original has been updated to reflect some suggestions made by Eric Schultz and an explanation of why branch lengths should be lengthened to accommodate uncertainty in character values at interior nodes of the tree.
September 17, 2007
- Westoby, M., M. R. Leishman and J. M. Lord. 1995. On misinterpreting the 'phylogenetic correction'. Journal of Ecology 83: 531-534.
- Harvey, P.H., A. F. Read and S. Nee. 1995. Why ecologists need to be phylogenetically challenged. Journal of Ecology 83: 535-536.
- Westoby, M., M. R. Leishman and J. M. Lord. 1995. Further remarks on phylogenetic correction. Journal of Ecology 83: 727-730.
- Fitter, A. H. 1995. Interpreting quantitative and qualitative characteristics in comparative analyses. Journal of Ecology 83: 730.
- Ackerly, D. D. and M. J. Donoghue. 1995. Phylogeny and ecology reconsidered. Journal of Ecology 83: 730-733.
- Harvey, P.H., A. F. Read and S. Nee. 1995. Further remarks on the role of phylogeny in comparative ecology. Journal of Ecology 83: 733-734.
- Rees, M. 1995. EC-PC comparative analyses? Journal of Ecology 83: 891-892.
- Westoby, M., M. R. Leishman and J. M. Lord. 1995. Issues of interpretation after relating comparative datasets to phylogeny. Journal of Ecology 83: 892-893.
September 24, 2007
- Garland, T. Jr., P. H. Harvey, A. R. Ives. 1992. Procedures for the analysis of comparative data using phylogenetically independent contrasts. Systematic Biology 41: 18-32.
October 1, 2007
- Caro, T. M., C. M. Graham, C. J. Stoner, and M. M. Flores. 2003. Correlates of horn and antler shape in bovids and cervids. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 55:32-41.
October 8, 2007
- Cavender-Bares, J., D. D. Ackerly, D. A. Baum, and F. A. Bazzaz. 2004 American Naturalist 163(6): 823-843.
October 15, 2007
- Phillimore, A. B., R. P. Freckleton, C. D. L. Orme and I. P. F. Owens. 2006. Ecology predicts large-scale patterns of phylogenetic diversification in birds. American Naturalist 168: 220-229.
October 22, 2007
- Hulsey, C. D., M. C. Mims and J. T. Streelman. 2007. Do constructional constraints influence cichlid craniofacial diversification? Proceedings of the Royal Society London B 274: 1867-1875.
November 5, 2007
Some more Mesquite workshopping, using a tree with equal branch lengths, and looking at ancestral character reconstruction. Here is a nexus file that can be opened in Mesquite containing the data matrix and tree: carl3.nex
November 12, 2007
- Phylogenetic comparative methods & applications
- Here is a table outlining some of the prevailing phylogeny-based analytical methods, in relation to their traditional statistical counterparts, for approaching various types of questions. This is a work in progress, so please email any comments, suggestions, or complaints to: diego.sustaita@uconn.edu
November 26, 2007
- Ives, A.R., P.E. Midford, and T. Garland Jr. 2007. Within-species variation and measurement error in phylogenetic comparative methods. Systematic Biology 56(2):252–270