Welcome to Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences，Today is
RSS 中文

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Three numerical approaches to the classification of Chinese species of genus Abelia

Hu Chia-Ch'i, Chu Ming-Yuan, Shu Tzu-Sheng   

  1. (Fudan University)
  • Received:1900-01-01 Revised:1900-01-01 Online:1982-11-18 Published:1982-11-18
  • Contact: Hu Chia-Ch'i

Abstract:

   In the last 10—20 years there has bee n increasing awareness of the problem con-
cerning the aims and practices of taxonomy.  In particular, there has been growing
interest in the development of numerical methods in biological taxonomy as an aid to
making systematics a quantitative science, a step which comes in time to almost every
scientific discipline.
      Numerical taxonomy is the evaluation by numerical methods of the affinity or
 similarity between taxonomic units and the employment of these affinities in erecting
a hierarchic order of taxa.  The present rapid development of these ideas is presuma-
bly a result of the development of computer techniques.
      Numerical taxonomic approach has been applied to the studies of entomology and
microbiology in China to some extent since 1975. But so far it hasn’t been commonly
used in botany.  The present report is a preliminary study on 9 spp. of the genus
Abelia.  A set of binary data with 54 characters  is  used  for  computing association
coefficient; and a set of quantitative data with 47 characters for distance coefficient
and correlation coefficient. For the mathematical models were chosen the non-metric
 simple matching association coefficient, the geometrical distance of Riemannian space
and correlation coefficient.  Computational procedures are stepwise presented in detail
and computer programmes are written in the background of Algol-60 language. Cluster analysis is compared with simple linkage,  average  linkage  and multi-correlation.
     The results of DC and CC for 9 spp. of Abelia agree closely with the traditional
taxonomy, because the data we collected mainly come from morphological characters.
It would seem that the results of quantita tive data are more appropriate for  seed
plants.  It is, therefore, postulated that our programes are complementary and very
useful to a wide range of classification entities, such as microbes, animals and plants
in present situation in China.
     In conclusion, a comparison between the  conventional taxonomy  and  numerical
taxonomy has been made, and a brief discussion of three problems, i.e. the monothetic
versus polythetic, divisive versus agglomerative, weighting versus unweighting.
 

Copyright © Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Support by Beijing Magtech Co.ltd support@magtech.com.cn