A SIMPLE PROCEDURE FOR ESTABLISHING DISCRETE CHARACTERS FROM MEASUREMENT DATA, APPLICABLE TO CLADISTICS

A new procedure for coding quantitative measurements and ranges of measurements onto discrete characters suitable for input into existing cladistic analyses programs is presented. The procedure consists of rank ordering the ranges by their minimum values first, then by their midrange values. The rationale for coding ranges is presented and justified from the taxonomist''s point of view. A detailed example is given and tested on a data set consisting of nine species of the genus Hordeum. Cladistic programs that deal directly with intra-OTU [operational taxonomic unit] variability are needed.