Pagel M D, Harvey P H
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK.
Folia Primatol (Basel). 1989;53(1-4):203-20. doi: 10.1159/000156417.
Comparisons among taxa provide a powerful means for helping to understand why primate species differ from each other in morphology, behaviour and life history. Comparative tests can also mislead when not applied correctly, and correct application means taking into account the phylogenetic relationships among the species being compared. Adaptation is defined as a comparative concept. The reasons for phenotypic similarity among closely related taxa are summarized. Different models of evolutionary change dictate different methods for reconstructing ancestral character states and for performing comparative analyses on categorical and continuously varying character. All comparative methods rely either implicitly of explicitly on some model of how evolution proceeds. The choice of a particular method of analysis is, therefore, an implicit choice of a model of evolution.
类群间的比较为理解灵长类物种在形态、行为和生活史方面为何彼此不同提供了有力手段。当比较测试应用不当也会产生误导，而正确应用意味着要考虑被比较物种之间的系统发育关系。适应被定义为一个比较性概念。总结了近缘类群间表型相似性的原因。不同的进化变化模型决定了重建祖先性状状态以及对分类性状和连续变化性状进行比较分析的不同方法。所有比较方法都或明或暗地依赖于某种进化过程模型。因此，选择特定的分析方法实际上就是选择一种进化模型。
