Summary
A procedure is presented that forms an unrooted tree-like structure from a matrix of pairwise differences. The tree is not formed a portion at a time, as methods now in use generally do, but is formed en toto without intervening estimates of branch lengths. The method is based on a relaxed additivity (four-point metric) constraint. From the tree, a classification may be formed.
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Fitch, W.M. A non-sequential method for constructing trees and hierarchical classifications. J Mol Evol 18, 30–37 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01733209
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01733209