01:119:115 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Canidae, Carnivora, Paraphyly
Document Summary
Phylogeny is the evolutionary history of a species or group for related species produced using systematics; the collection of fossil, molecular, and genetic data to inferevolutionary relationships. In order to understand evolutionary relationships we must first provide an ordered division and naming of organisms (taxonomy) In 18th century, carolus linnaeues published system of taxonomy based on resemblances. Two key features : 2 part names for species (binomial) and hierarchical classification (placement into increasingly inclusive categories: binomial : genus (first letter is capitalized) and a unique epithet, ex. Panthera: genus that includes all close relatives: entire species name is italicized ex panther pardus (or leopard, related genera are place d in one family, similar families in one order etc. Linnaeus introduced a system for grouping species in increasingly broad categories. The taxonomy groups from broad to narrow are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. A taxonomic unit at any level of hierarchy is called a taxon.