taxodist: Taxonomic Distance and Phylogenetic Lineage Computation

Computes phylogenetic distances between any two taxa using hierarchical lineage data retrieved from The Taxonomicon <http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl>, a comprehensive curated classification of all life based on Systema Naturae 2000 (Brands, 1989 <http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl>). Given any two taxon names, retrieves their full lineages, identifies the most recent common ancestor (MRCA), and computes a dissimilarity index based on lineage depth. Outputs native dist objects, enabling direct integration with the R statistical ecosystem for hierarchical clustering, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), and multivariate ecological analyses. Supports individual distance queries, pairwise distance matrices, clade filtering, and lineage utilities.

install.packages("taxodist")

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