[Taxacom] Paraphyletic groups as natural units of biological classification

[Stephen Thorpe]

Not necessarily! There might be a monophyletic group consisting of two sister species (or two sister taxa, one of which is a single species). Choose any one, and the residue is monophyletic!

Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Sat, 4/10/14, Curtis Clark <lists at curtisclark.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Paraphyletic groups as natural units of biological classification
 To: "taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu" <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 Received: Saturday, 4 October, 2014, 7:44 AM
 
 On 2014-10-02 9:41 PM,
 Stephen Thorpe wrote:
 > Yes Curtis, I
 know what the word 'plesiomorphic' means.
 
 Sorry, I wasn't sure after
 you wrote "plesiomorphic species".
 
 > I do not understand your
 last sentence: Any time a species forms, it leaves behind a
 paraphyletic residue of whatever monophyletic group you
 choose.
 
 It seems
 self-evident to me. Diagnose a monophyletic group of your
 
 choice. Designate a species that has
 evolved within that group. The 
 remainder of
 the group is paraphyletic.
 
 -- 
 Curtis Clark        http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark
 Biological Sciences               
    +1 909 869 4140
 Cal Poly
 Pomona, Pomona CA 91768
 
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