taxodist - Taxonomic Distance and Phylogenetic Lineage Computation
Computes phylogenetic distances between any two taxa using
hierarchical lineage data retrieved from The Taxonomicon
<http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl>, a comprehensive curated
classification of all life based on Systema Naturae 2000
(Brands, 1989 <http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl>). Given any two
taxon names, retrieves their full lineages, identifies the most
recent common ancestor (MRCA), and computes a dissimilarity
index based on lineage depth. Outputs native dist objects,
enabling direct integration with the R statistical ecosystem
for hierarchical clustering, principal coordinate analysis
(PCoA), and multivariate ecological analyses. Supports
individual distance queries, pairwise distance matrices, clade
filtering, and lineage utilities.
