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CLASSIFICATION: The process and practice of describing, defining and ranking taxa within a hierarchical series of groups; permits organizing and ordering knowledge about organisms, and creates a simplified language for conveying information about order in the diversity of life. In biology, we use the Linnean classification hierarchy (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species).
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus species
Kingdom Metazoa Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Primates Family Hominidae Genus Homo species sapiens Binomen (scientific name) in “binomial” or “binominal” nomenclature
G.G. Simpson, 1945 Class Mammalia Subclass Infraclass Cohort Superorder Order Primates Suborder Anthropoidea Infraorder Superfamily Hominoidea Family Hominidae Subfamily Tribe Subtribe Genus Homo Subgenus species sapiens subspecies
Go over RULES: How to write sci. names It’s ALMOST NEVER OK to just write the species epithet. A species’ scientific name is the unique combination of the Genus+species (give examples of why this can be confusing). Families (and nothing else) end in “-dae,” which is pronounced ‘dee” Subs end in “-nae” All supragenerics capitalized Derivations are not. Etc.
Systematics: The field of biology that deals with the diversity of living organisms, usually divided into the two subdisciplines of taxonomy and phylogenetics. Taxonomy: The science of describing, naming, and classifying (grouping) organisms. Taxon (plural: taxa): Any named group of organisms (not necessarily a clade). A subspecies respresents a "taxon," as does every hierarchical level up to Kingdom. Phylogenetics: The field of biology that deals with the relationships between organisms, including the discovery of these relationships and the study of the causes behind these patterns.
Phylogeny: The evolutionary relationships among organisms; the patterns of lineage branching produced by the evolutionary history of organisms.
Outgroups Terminal node (terminal) (=interior branch)
“basal” to the ingroup Most Recent Common Ancestor of B+C MRCA of A+B+C MRCA of N+A+B+C
A B C D A B C D D C B D C B A A
A B C D A B C D
A B C D A C D B
Types of “trees” DENDROGRAM: A branching diagram with nodes and branches. PHYLOGENETIC TREE or CLADOGRAM: A dendrogram representing the genealogic relationships between taxa with ancestry and relative time implied. A B C D
Types of “trees” DENDROGRAM: A branching diagram with nodes and branches. PHYLOGENETIC TREE or CLADOGRAM: A dendrogram representing the genealogic relationships between taxa with ancestry and relative time implied. EVOLUTIONARY TREE: A phylogenetic tree that includes a time axis and (generally) all members, living and extinct.
C D A B scale=10% Types of “trees” PHYLOGRAM: A tree with branch lengths drawn to represent the degree of genetic (or other) divergence.
Monophyly (monophyletic) monophyletic group (monophyly): A group of organisms/taxa that includes ALL known descendants of that group's common ancestor (including the common ancestor). Monophyletic groups (clades) are grouped by shared derived characters (synapomorphies) not present in earlier ancestors or other groups. Monophyletic groups are also called "natural" groups. Mammalia is an example of a monophyletic group.
clade clade clade subclade Monophyly (monophyletic) clade: A monophyletic or “natural” group. subclade: A clade nested within a larger, more inclusive clade.
Monophyly (monophyletic) Paraphyly (paraphyletic) paraphyletic group (paraphyly): An artificial group of organisms/taxa that includes some, but NOT ALL, of the descendants of a common ancestor. Paraphyletic groups are typically recognized by the sharing of primitive (plesiomorphic) characters. Reptiles are an example of a paraphyletic group. A "grade" is also, by definition, paraphyletic.
Monophyly (monophyletic) grade Paraphyly (paraphyletic) grade: An artifical (non-monophyletic) taxon, frequently paraphyletic and sometimes polyphyletic. Grades are supposed to represent some level of evolutionary progress.
Monophyly (monophyletic) polyphyletic group (polyphyly): An artificial group of organisms/taxa derived from two or more independent, distinct ancestral taxa. The common ancestor, and many closely related taxa, are excluded from the group. Polyphyletic groups are generally recognized by superficial similarities resulting from convergence that do not reflect close evolutionary relationships. Paraphyly (paraphyletic) Polyphyly (polyphyletic)
Monophyly (monophyletic) Paraphyly (paraphyletic) Polyphyly (polyphyletic)
Lizards & snakes Crocodiles Dinosaurs & birds Mammals & reptile-like mammals Turtles Anapsida Diapsida Amphibians Saurapsida Synapsida -ca. 320 mya Amniota -evolution of cleidoic (shelled) egg; ca. 350 mya
Why do we care? Meaningful classifications.
Why do we care? Meaningful classifications. Need pattern (=phylogeny) to study process (evolution, biogeography, etc.).
Why do we care? Meaningful classifications. Need pattern (=phylogeny) to study process (evolution, biogeography, etc.). The “comparative method”
Why do we care? Meaningful classifications. Need pattern (=phylogeny) to study process (evolution, biogeography, etc.). The “comparative method” Predict properties of organisms
“cheetahlike cat” †Miracinonyx N. America Pleistocene