Question

What is numerical taxonomy?

Answer 1

1. The application of numerical methods (statistical principles) in the classification of taxonomic units is called as numerical taxonomy.
2. This was first given by Edgar Anderson.
3. It is also called as Phenetics.
4. It involves exhaustive numerical (quantitative) estimation of taxonomic characters from all the   parts of a plant as well as from all the stages of the life-cycle.
5. The numerical data thus obtained is tabulated systematically by means of computers.
6. Numerical taxonomy is summarized in the form of tree-like diagrams called Dendrograms.
7. The main objective of numerical taxonomy is to elucidate and illustrate the degrees of relationship or similarity.