Boyer diss 2009 1046..

RESULTS
Phylogenetic reconstructions
Species level cladistic analysis – 144 trees resulted from analysis of the dental
matrix of 32 characters. The strict consensus of these is shown in Figure 5.1A.
Plesiadapidae is monophyletic with Elphidotarsius forming the sister taxon of the group.
Pronothodectes is the most basal genus of the family. Nannodectes, Chiromyoides, and
Platychoerops are monophyletic, and P. cookei is recovered as the sister taxon of
Platychoerops. The length of each most parsimonious tree is 66. The consistency index
is 59. The retention index is 83. In most respects the reconstructed phylogeny is
congruent with that of Gingerich (1976) based on stratophenetic methodology, if less
resolved in some ways. Addition of stratigraphic data will likely resolve many of these
polytomies.
Character optimization - Table 5.3 is a list of characters from Bloch et al. (2007)
and seven additional characters. These characters were scored for the crania described in
chapters 2 and 3, and postcrania described in Chapter 4. Internal carotid artery
functionality was also scored (Table 5.4A-B). These character states were optimized
onto the consensus cladogram recovered through the species level analysis. The
optimized state for the ancestral node is given in the last row of Table 5.4A-C.
A drawing of a cranium based on the ancestral node and P. tricuspidens illustrates
the differences that appear to distinguish basal, Pr. gaoi-like taxa, and more derived,
later-occurring P. tricuspidens-like taxa (Fig. 5.2).
510