Biological Classification[H] Biological Classification #Tuesday, February 4, 2020 1:27 PMThe Macroevolutionary Level #To understand humans:compare biology & behavior to other organismssee how we fit in biological historyfind our place in the animal kingdomwhat has happened to us over timeBiological Classification — Taxonomy #↳ hierarchical system based on similarity (controversial — gives unclear answers; anatomical, molecular info often conflict)make statements about evolutionary or genetic relationshipsfollow taxonomical rulesHomologous Structures #Similar structures across speciescaused by common ancestor; HomologiesAnalogous Structures #Similar structures due to function, but not ancestry (superficial, independent)homoplasy: evolutionary development of analogous structuresEvolutionary Systematics #Study of homologous traitsvery broad relationships: plesiomorphies (due to ancestral)Cladistics #Emphasis on derived traits (apomorphies) — used to figure out common ancestorsfiner classification relative ancestrally traitssynapomorphies — shared, derived traitsautapomorphies — unique, derived traits (bipedalism, complex language)Phylogenetic Tree #links species by common ancestorshard to construct if missing nodesCladograms #links species by common traitshelpful for discovering relationships b/tw similar speciesHierarchy: Life → Domain → Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → SpeciesBiological Species Concept (“lumpers”) #As long as animals can breed and produce viable offspring, they should be considered the same speciesnot based on physical appearancedifficult to use on extinct species/fossils → paleospeciesPhylogenetic Species Concept (“splitters”) #Species should be defined by the smallest set of organisms that share an ancestor and can be distinguished from other setsinterbreeding capability is irrelevant↳ Species are often blurred lines and is a human construct. Species do not always conform to the past/future.BacklinksNo backlinks foundInteractive Graph
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