cactus
comparative analysis of continuous traits using statistics
© Dylan W. Schwilk, Prickly Software 1999, 2000, 2001.
When referring to CACTUS please cite this web page and
Schwilk D. W., Ackerly D. D. 2001. Flammability and serotiny as strategies: correlated evolution in pines. - Oikos 94: 326-336.
NOTE: I no longer can provide support for CACTUS. The graphical interface was written in non-portable code using Microsoft libraries that Microsoft no longer supports. My programming tasks have turned to other projects and toward solving other problems. For most tasks, I would recommend Phylocom.
CACTUS is a computer program for the automation of comparative methods. It runs on Windows NT, Windows98SE, and Windows2000. It was designed with the following goals in mind:
- Efficient implementation of parsimony statistics and independent contrasts.
- Simple user interface.
- Compatibility with existing phylogenetic software through the use of the NEXUS file format.
- Efficiency in analyzing data over alternative phylogenies.
CACTUS calculates descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients based on independent contrasts for continuous characters measured on a set of taxa, given one or more phylogenetic trees describing the relationship among these taxa. Similar programs are available from Emilia Martins (Indiana University), Ted Garland (University of Wisconsin), and David Ackerly (Stanford University) among others (see links to many programs at the Berkeley phylogenetics software page).
CACTUS evolved from Dr. David Ackerly's PASCAL program ACAP (Another Comparative Analysis Program, Ackerly 1998
CACTUS 1.13 Available for download
CACTUS may not run correctly on Windows XP
Download CACTUS below. The source code is also available under and MIT-style license: cactus_cleaned_source.zip.
