TAXONOMY

Aristotele:
Aristotele “Historia Animalium” Nature classified by means of comparative
(384-322 BC) methods and based on morphology

Carolus Linnaeus:
Linnaeus “Systema Binomial nomenclature: Homo sapiens
Naturae” (1707-1778)
assumptions Genus name Species name

Morphological characteristics; species and genera unchangeable.

Typological classification, no questions about relatedness
Species definition: a class of objects, members of which shared certain defining
properties. Such a class is constant, it does not change in time, all deviations from
the definition of the class are merely “accidents”

Charles Darwin:
Darwin “Origin of Living organisms descended from a common ancestor
species” (1861)
They are connected each other by genealogical
relationships
 HIERARCHICAL CLASSIFICATION
Every group resemble each other and is related to each other by evolution through time

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Classification
categories Order Primates
Family Pongidae
Genus Pan
Species Pan troglodytes
 CLASSIFICATION
Inclusion of dynamic biological facts about relatedness
Mayr definition of biological species: a group of interbreeding natural populations that is
reproductivily isolated from other such groups

Today classification
Morphological, structural, behavioral, biomechanical similarities

ANALOGIES vs. HOMOLOGIES

 METHODS OF CLASSIFICATION
Evolutionary classification

Based on assessment of homologies, especially of morphological characteristics. Also

ontogeny, cell biology, behavior can be considered

Use of phylogenetic trees Strength: a weighting

system is used that favors
some derived characters
Illustrate ancestor- over others.
descendant relationships
and time passed, but do
not represent classification Major critique to this
method: relies too much
on individual experience
 Numerical or Phenetic Classification
Relies on equal weighting of all visible characters. All characters are evaluated of equal
importance. Does not require knowledge of the taxon classified

Cladistics
1. Phylogeny occurs only by means of dichotomies: a parent taxon splits in two sister
taxa and ceases to exist after the split

2. Dichotomy based on common possession of uniquely derived characters

(Sinapomorphies)

3. Variables (morphological, behavioral, or molecular) recorded as character states

(0,1,2)

4. Computer generation of many treelike diagrams

5. The most parsimonious tree (requires the fewest steps for all characters) is chosen
 CLADISTICS
Cladograms can be constructed for any group of organisms
They all share a common origin; their current forms are all derived from branching
events somewhere in the phylogenetic past. When did these branches occur?

Derived Characters Cladogram

segmented jaws hair placenta multicellular limbs

kangaroo + + + - + +
earthworm + - - - + -
amoeba - - - - - -
lizard + + - - + +
cat + + + + + +
sponge - - - - + -
salmon + + - - + -

Strength Critique
Cladograms emphasize the sequence or Nothing in a cladogram indicates how
order in which derived characters arise strong the derived character is, and its
from a central phylogenetic tree evolutionary importance
CLADOGRAM vs. PHYLOGENETIC TREE
 THE FAMILY HOMINIDAE
Evolutionary classification Cladistic classification
Hominoidea Hominoidea

Hylobatidae Hylobatidae

Hylobates Hylobatinae

Symphalangus Hylobates

Pongidae Symphalangus

Pongo Pongidae

Pan Ponginae

Gorilla Pongo

Hominidae Paninae

Homo
Human classified in another
family because of differences
in adaptive features
Gorilla
Pan
Homo
Human classified in the same family and
tribe of Pan and Gorilla based on
molecular evidences (phylogeny based)