Reassessing morphological characters in hominin and hominid phylogenetics
Open Access DepositedWe lack a well-supported (aka well-resolved) species-level phylogeny of hominins. Early researchers used morphological evidence to group modern humans with the great apes, but while morphology failed to resolve the Pan-Homo-Gorilla trichotomy, molecular evidence continues to support a ((Pan, Homo) Gorilla)) relationship. This has led some to question whether we can ever expect to recover a well-resolved early hominin phylogeny given the likely inevitability of having to rely on morphological evidence. Attempts to understand the relationships among extinct early hominins continue, but recent research has demonstrated that the way researchers select and code morphological characters influences the resulting phylogenies. When we assessed the quality of the cranio-dental characters currently used in hominin phylogenetic research, we found many characters were problematic, and many others were likely redundant. The inclusion of redundant characters means that some features are over-emphasized, resulting in inflated statistical support for clades. The use of stricter criteria for selecting and constructing characters may provide insight into how morphological evidence can be used more effectively to answer questions about early hominin phylogenetics.
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