is the science of identifying, naming, and classifying organisms into groups based on
shared characteristics.
Taxonomy
Recognizing and recording the characteristics of an organism.
Identification:
Assigning scientific names following internationally accepted rules (e.g., ICZN, ICBN).
Nomenclature:
Arranging organisms into hierarchical categories (e.g., species, genus, family, etc.).
Goal: To organize and name organisms in a consistent, standardized way.
Classification:
is a broader scientific discipline that studies the diversity of
organisms and their evolutionary relationships.
Systematics
Output/Product of Taxonomy
Scientific names, classification systems,
identification keys
Output/Product of Systematics
Phylogenetic trees, evolutionary hypotheses,
biogeographical data
Study of evolutionary relationships using trees
Phylogenetics
Method for grouping organisms based on shared
derived traits
Cladistics
Understanding how traits evolve over time
Evolutionary Biology
Study of the geographic distribution of species
and its relation to evolutionary history
Biogeography
is a diagram that shows evolutionary relationships based on common ancestry
phylogenetic tree
Represents a common ancestor
•Node:
Evolutionary lineage
•Branch:
A group of organisms descended from a common ancestor
•Clade:
A taxon outside the group of interest used for comparison
•Outgroup:
Based mostly on morphological traits
Classical (Traditional) Systematics
Uses quantitative measures of similarity without
focusing on ancestry
Numerical (Phenetics)
Uses molecular data (DNA/RNA) to study
evolutionary patterns
Molecular Systematics
a product of systematics.
•Classification
estimate divergence times of species.
•Molecular clocks
Offers fossil evidence for ancestral relationships
Paleontology
Informs how evolutionary relationships affect ecosystem roles
Ecology
