The "vicariance" concept in current historical biogeography was reviewed in a historical context of its development. The original definition of the term, "spatial substitution" of related species, had been inherited both to Hennigian phylogenetic biogeography ("Stellvertretung im Raume") and to Croizatian panbiogeography ("vicariant form-making"). On the other hand, a new definition of the same term, "subdivision" or "fragmentation" of an area or a biota, is now widely used in vicariance (or cladistic) biogeography. The conceptual relationship between vicariance and dispersal is that of common cause and separate cause, which is similar to that of synapomorphy and homoplasy in cladistic analysis. The problem of area relationship in vicariance biogeography was generalized as the "habitation-inhabitant" problem to include similar problems of organism/gene, host/parasite, eukaryote/symbiont as well as area/species. The phylogeny of a "habitation" is estimated using the phylogenies of "inhabitant" groups. The structures of those area cladograms that have missing areas, widespread taxa or redundant appearances were explicitly defined using partial-order theory. Finally, several analytical tools of current vicariance biogeography (component analysis, Brooks parsimony analysis, group compatibility analysis and three-item analysis) were reviewed.
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