Systematics And The Exploration Of Life

This book's aim is to obtain and organize knowledge about the diversity of living things. Their epistomological and methodological fundamentals are explained in the framework of the biology of evolution. The methods of construction and use of phylogenetic trees are presented as well as the classification and description of taxa with the nomenclature rules.

In December 2004, the National Academy of Sciences sponsored a colloquium on "Systematics and the Origin of Species" to celebrate Ernst Mayr's 100th anniversary and to explore current knowledge concerning the origin of species. In 1942, Ernst Mayr, one of the twentieth century's greatest scientists, published Systematics and the Origin of Species, a seminal book of the modern theory of evolution, where he advanced the significance of population variation in the understanding of evolutionary process and the origin of new species. Mayr formulated the transition from Linnaeus's static species concept to the dynamic species concept of the modern theory of evolution and emphasized the species as a community of populations, the role of reproductive isolation, and the ecological interactions between species. In addition to a preceding essay by Edward O. Wilson, this book includes the 16 papers presented by distinguished evolutionists at the colloquium. The papers are organized into sections covering the origins of species barriers, the processes of species divergence, the nature of species, the meaning of "species," and genomic approaches for understanding diversity and speciation.

Understanding the history and philosophy of biological systematics (phylogenetics, taxonomy and classification of living things) is key to successful practice of the discipline. In this thoroughly revised Third Edition of the classic Biological Systematics, Andrew V. Z. Brower and Randall T. Schuh provide an updated account of cladistic principles and techniques, emphasizing their empirical and epistemological clarity. Brower and Schuh cover: -the history and philosophy of systematics -the mechanics and methods of character analysis, phylogenetic inference, and evaluation of results -the practical application of systematic results to: -biological classification -adaptation and coevolution -biodiversity, and conservation -new chapters on species and molecular clocks Biological Systematics is both a textbook for students studying systematic biology and a desk reference for practicing systematists. Part explication of concepts and methods, part exploration of the underlying epistemology of systematics, This third edition addresses why some methods are more empirically sound than others.

Presenting a historical analysis of the evolution of systematics during the last one hundred years, Milestones in Systematics reviews many of the major issues in systematic theory and practice that have driven the working methods of systematics during the 20th century and looks at the issues most likely to preoccupy systematists in the immediate fu

Willi Hennig (1913–76), founder of phylogenetic systematics, revolutionised our understanding of the relationships among species and their natural classification. An expert on Diptera and fossil insects, Hennig's ideas were applicable to all organisms. He wrote about the science of taxonomy or systematics, refining and promoting discussion of the precise meaning of the term 'relationship', the nature of systematic evidence, and how those matters impinge on a precise understanding of monophyly, paraphyly, and polyphyly. Hennig's contributions are relevant today and are a platform for the future. This book focuses on the intellectual aspects of Hennig's work and gives dimension to the future of the subject in relation to Hennig's foundational contributions to the field of phylogenetic systematics. Suitable for graduate students and academic researchers, this book will also appeal to philosophers and historians interested in the legacy of Willi Hennig.

Biological Systematics: Principles and Applications draws equally from examples in botany and zoology to provide a modern account of cladistic principles and techniques. It is a core systematics textbook with a focus on parsimony-based approaches for students and biologists interested in systematics and comparative biology. Randall T. Schuh and Andrew V. Z. Brower cover: -the history and philosophy of systematics and nomenclature; -the mechanics and methods of analysis and evaluation of results; -the practical applications of results and wider relevance within biological classification, biogeography, adaptation and coevolution, biodiversity, and conservation; and -software applications. This new and thoroughly revised edition reflects the exponential growth in the use of DNA sequence data in systematics. New data techniques and a notable increase in the number of examples from molecular systematics will be of interest to students increasingly involved in molecular and genetic work.

The Evolution of Phylogenetic Systematics aims to make sense of the rise of phylogenetic systematics—its methods, its objects of study, and its theoretical foundations—with contributions from historians, philosophers, and biologists. This volume articulates an intellectual agenda for the study of systematics and taxonomy in a way that connects classification with larger historical themes in the biological sciences, including morphology, experimental and observational approaches, evolution, biogeography, debates over form and function, character transformation, development, and biodiversity. It aims to provide frameworks for answering the question: how did systematics become phylogenetic?

Most students who take a course in biological systematics do so to learn how to construct a data matrix and generate and evaluate a tree of phylogenetic relationships. Biological Systematics: Principles and Applications, by Randall T. Schuh, provides a welcome tool for these students and their instructors: it is a comprehensive and completely new textbook, the first of its kind since 1981. Systematics, the study of the reconstruction of the history of life, forms the underlying basis for organizing the knowledge of biology; cladistics is the diagrammatic method of charting phylogenetic relationships over time among evolving life forms. Cladistics analysis, the key tool used in this book, is also of great use outside pure systematic studies, and interests many students of population biology, ecology, epidemiology, and natural resources.Suitable for both graduate and advanced undergraduate students, Biological Systematics: Principles and Applications covers the core material for courses in biological systematics, with equal emphasis on both botany and zoology. It includes sections on the history and resources of the field; biological nomenclature; the theory of homology, character analysis, and computer algorithms; and the application of the results of systematic studies in the areas of biological classification, biogeography, adaptation and co-evolution, and biodiversity and conservation.

Recent and ongoing debates in biology and the philosophy of biology reveal a widespread dissatisfaction with traditional explanatory frameworks. There are also problems with the current definitions or circumscriptions of key concepts such as gene, species, and homology, and even of whole disciplinary fields within the life sciences, e.g. developmental biology. These contrasting views are arguably a symptom of the need to revisit traditional, unchallenged partitions between the specialist disciplines within the life sciences. In the diversity of topics addressed and approaches to move beyond the current disciplinary organization, the five essays in this volume will hopefully stimulate further exploration towards an improved articulation of life sciences.