Systematics - Exam 1 Flashcards
Biological Species Concept
Species are groups of interbreeding (or potentially interbreeding) natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.
Evolutionary Species Concept
An evolutionary species is a lineage (an ancestral-dependent sequence of populations) evolving separately from others with its own unitary evolutionary role and tendencies.
Phylogenetic Species Concept
A phylogenetic species is an irreducible (basal) cluster of organisms, diagnosably distinct from other such clusters, and within which there is a parental pattern of ancestry and descent.
Analogy
Similarity of structure based on convergence and not inheritance from a common ancestor
Apomorphy
A derived character state (a new state derived from an ancestral state).
Biodiversity
Reference to abundance of species and all aspects of their biology.
Character
Any item such as a physical structure, genetic marker, or behavior that can have more than one form (character state) that is useful for identification or phylogenetic interpretation.
Character state
Any condition of a character that can be quantified or qualified.
Clade
A monophyletic group of organisms based on a phylogenetic hypothesis.
Cladistics
Philosophy of grouping organisms based on the possession of apomorphies.
Classification
Noun - arrangement of organisms into a hierarchical series of nested categories that are arranged to reflect relationships to one another.
Epistemology
Study of knowledge and how knowledge is acquired. [ for your interest only: Three types (Fictionism, Phenomenalism and Realism). Realists believe in species as “real” entities. Three other areas of Philosophy are Logic, Metaphysics and Ethics (see Wiley 1981 for more info).] Systematists today use the epistemological or methodological approach to gathering knowledge.
Genealogy
A record of the descent of one or more entities from an ancestor. Phylogenetic trees are genealogies on the level of populations, species and higher taxa.
Genotype
1) the genetic composition of an organism.
2) the type species of a genus [not a recommended use].
Grade
A group of organisms that do not include all of the descendants of a common ancestor; a paraphyletic grouping.
Homology
Similarity of structures based on inheritance from a common ancestor.
Monophyletic
A group of organisms that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants.
Paraphyletic
A group of organisms that includes the common ancestor, but not all of its descendants.
Phenetics
Philosophy of grouping organisms based on shared similarities.
Phylogeny
A graphical representation of the evolutionary history of a group of organisms.
Polyphyletic
An unnatural group of organisms that do not share an immediate common ancestor (usually based on phenetic similarity).
Species
Taxonomic category. Based on a number of definitions but always is used to represent the unit of evolution. For example, species evolve into new species, individuals do not. Will be discussed in detail later.
Systematics
A broad term that generally refers to taxonomy and all of the related subject areas that deal with the occurrence, identification, and evolutionary history of a group.
Taxon (pl. Taxa)
Definable taxonomic unit that can be recognized, whether described or not (formal or informal group; eg. subspecies, species, group of species, etc.).
Taxonomic Hierarchy
The order of animal classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species, subspecies) or plant classification (Kingdom, Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species, subspecies)
Allopatric (Allopatry)
distribution pattern of two or more separate geographic areas
Morphological Species Concept
Species recognized by phonetic differences or gaps that are assumed to represent some form of reproductive isolation, reproductive recognition (not the same isolation) or cohesive group of organisms that evolve in a similar manner
Pattern
the by-product of evolution. As organisms (populations) originate and diversify over time, an increasingly complex system of relationships arise which reflects the history of evolution. Discovering this pattern of relationships is a major goal of systematics.
Process
the mechanisms of evolution. The forces that drive the formation of new lineages and the divergence of existing lineages. Understanding the origin of diversity helps to illuminate the resulting pattern.
Linnaeus
a. highly ordered system of classification and naming
b. binomial nomenclature
Synapomorphy
Derived or apomorphous character (evolutionary novelty) shared by two or more taxa and indicating common ancestry
supraspecific taxon
an assemblage of two or more species or higher level taxa.
Species
The basic units of evolution. New species arise by division of an existing species into a new group of individuals reproductively isolated or at least ecologically distinct from the original species.
natural taxon
exists in nature independent of man’s ability to perceive it (Wiley 1981), and is comprised of a group of organisms (species) that share the same common ancestor.
Holotype
Single specimen designated as the type by the original author at the time of original publication of the species name.
Syntype
Every specimen of a type series in which no holotype has been designated (same as cotype).
Lectotype
One of a series of specimens originally designated as the type series that is subsequently designated through publication to serve as the type.
Paratype
One of the remaining types after the holotype has been designated.
Paralectotype
One of the remaining syntypes after the lectotype has been designated.
Neotype
Specimen selected as the type, where the original specimens are known to have been destroyed or lost.
Senior Synonym
valid, available name with priority
Junior Synonym
younger available name (not valid)
Objective Synonym
- Based on nomenclature, NOT biology
- family group names with same type genus
- genus group names with same type species
- species names based on same specimen (rare)
Subjective synonym
- Mostly based on biology (subjective decision!!!)
* Most common type
