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On the relationship between content, ancestor, and ancestry in phylogenetic nomenclature
Author(s) -
Härlin Mikael
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
cladistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.323
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1096-0031
pISSN - 0748-3007
DOI - 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2003.tb00303.x
Subject(s) - nomenclature , phylogenetic tree , ancestor , taxon , phylogenetic nomenclature , biology , evolutionary biology , phylogenetic relationship , genealogy , zoology , taxonomy (biology) , genetics , geography , paleontology , history , clade , gene , archaeology
In this paper I draw attention to the concepts of content and ancestry in phylogenetic nomenclature. I argue that these concepts are tightly linked and that they cannot be separated as suggested by Bryant and Cantino [Biol. Rev. 77 (2002) 39] in their recent response to a critique of phylogenetic nomenclature. In addition, I argue that the basic assumption in phylogenetic nomenclature that a taxon name always refers to the same ancestor or ancestry is questionable.