Publisher's Synopsis
Stressing the position and aims of systematics as an evolutionary biological discipline, this book deals with the taxonomy and phylogenetic systematics of the drynarioid Polypodiaceae, a tropical group of epiphytic ferns. The primary aim is the reconstruction of phylogenies by means of a new integrated cladistic method. The first results are detailed hypotheses of the evolutionary relations of the species recognized and of the evolutionary developments in the characters studied. The historical biogeography is then analysed and the resulting areagram is used to postulate an evolutionary scenario for this fern group.
