Meeting Abstract

52.4  Tuesday, Jan. 5  A Semiparametric Method to Test for Correlated Evolution in a Phylogenetic Context HARMON, Luke J.; University of Idaho lukeh@uidaho.edu

Here I describe a new nonparametric comparative method, the phylogenetic rank correlation (PRC) test. This test, based on the correlation of ranks of independent contrasts on a phylogenetic tree, is robust under several models of trait evolution, and has power comparable to standard independent contrasts and much greater than the contrast sign test, another nonparametric comparative method. The PRC test provides a robust alternative to parametric methods such as PGLS and independent contrasts.