Abstract
The determination of the relationships of organisms in time and space is the process called phylogenetic inference. The process is termed an inference because one cannot directly observe evolution above the species level, and therefore, one must infer such relationships. Furthermore, it is impossible to devise experiments to directly test such relationships, but that does not mean that they cannot be falsified by new data, such as the discovery of new fossils or recent organisms, or the re-analysis of the characters of previously known organisms.
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Hecht, M.K., Edwards, J.L. (1977). The Methodology of Phylogenetic Inference Above the Species Level. In: Hecht, M.K., Goody, P.C., Hecht, B.M. (eds) Major Patterns in Vertebrate Evolution. NATO Advanced Study Institutes Series, vol 14. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8851-7_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8851-7_1
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