On The Evolution Of Viviparity And Egg-Guarding In Squamate Reptiles: A Reply To R. Shine And M. S. Y. Lee
Résumé
In a precedent paper (de Fraipont et al., 1996), we analyzed the transitions between oviparity, egg-guarding, and viviparity using McClade. These analyses were criticized on both the phylogenies and the methods used. We redid the analyses using only clades where the three modes of reproduction were present, and using a new maximum likelihood-based statistical technique. Although only relevant to the clades studied, the results supported our previous view that egg-guarding and viviparity are seemingly independent evolutionary events, and that oviparity may evolve back from viviparity.