lineage_depth: Get the lineage depth of a taxon

In taxodist: Taxonomic Distance and Phylogenetic Lineage Computation

Get the lineage depth of a taxon

Description

Returns the number of nodes in the lineage of a taxon, from root to tip. This reflects how deeply nested the taxon is within the taxonomic hierarchy.

Usage

lineage_depth(taxon, verbose = FALSE)

Arguments

taxon	A character string giving the taxon name.
verbose	Logical. If TRUE, prints progress messages. Default FALSE.

Value

An integer giving the lineage depth, or NULL if the taxon cannot be found.

Examples

lineage_depth("Tyrannosaurus")   # deep — many intermediate clades
lineage_depth("Biota")           # shallow — near root

taxodist documentation built on May 6, 2026, 1:06 a.m.