Falsification of Homology [was: Re: Prum in latest Auk: Feduccia's arguments are "a rhethorical sham"]

["Jonathan R. Wagner" <jonathan.r.wagner@mail.utexas.edu>]

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote [paraphrasing Richard Prum ]

> * [Feduccia's] hypotheses of feather origins ("Elongate scale theories of
feather
> evolution were falsified on the basis of developmental evidence more than
a
> century ago, [...]

In all fairness, I would argue that developmental evidence CANNOT falsify an
assertion of homology. If you allow this, then you disallow the possibility
that development can evolve. See De Quieroz's paper on the ontogenetic
criterion for determining character polarity, and the wealth of literature
on the interface between development and phylogenetic systematics.

Wagner