The estimation of evolutionary relationships among taxa
Phylogeny
The pattern of genealogical relationships
Phylogenetic analysis is an example of hypothesis generation
Taxonomy
The science of discovering, describing, naming, and classifying species or groups of species
Aspects of Taxonomy
Classification
Nomenclature
Description
Identification
Classification
The process of grouping things together on the basis of the features they have in common
Classification is a way of summarising what we know – a kind of filing system
Anything can be classified (furniture, vehicles, emotions) but here we are referring to biological organisms and specifically plants
Classification (in its simplest form)
The placement of plants, animals and objects into groups and categories for a clear understanding, proper study and effective organization
Classification is the arrangement of a group of plants with particular circumscription by rank and position according to artificial criteria, phenetic similarities, or phylogenetic relationships
Purposes of Classification
Organize living things into groups
Give organisms names
Types of Classification Systems
Artificial classification
Mechanical classification
Natural classification
Phylogenetic classification
Classification is based on character correlations and discontinuities of variation, which are necessary for characterizations and delimitation of taxa
Classification is the ordering of plants into a hierarchy of taxa with the species being the fundamental basic unit, rank or category
Classification results in an orderly arrangement of system designed to express interrelationships in a particular or natural way
Classification provides a system for efficient and effective information storage
No character per se is more important than another in classification, but one character may be more significant within a group
The limits of a taxon cannot usually be defined quantitatively or qualitatively by a single characteristic
Assignments of natural populations or of population systems to taxa and the hierarchical arrangements of those involve judgment
Botanical classification aims to be 'natural' in that it tries to express relatedness of plants
Phylogenetic classification aims to reflect evolutionary history, so the plants within a group can be considered to have a common ancestor
A classification based on relatedness has great power in that it is predictive - if you know the natural group to which a plant belongs you can immediately predict all sorts of other characters for it
Early Plant Classification Systems
Folk/tribal classifications based on useful properties
Ancient Greek classifications by Theophrastus and Dioscorides
Pre-Linnaean Period (ca. 300 BC - 1700)
Ancient Classification Systems based on habit and importance to man
Herbalist Classification Systems (c. 1500-1580) based on habit and use to man
Mechanical Classification Systems (c. 1580-1700) based on form and other criteria
Andrea Caesalpino
Italian, called the first plant taxonomist; first scientist to classify plants primarily according to structural characteristics, such as their fruits and seeds
Jean Bauhin
Swiss, provided descriptions and good diagnosis of about 500 plants
Caspar Bauhin
Recognized distinction between genera and species as major taxonomic levels; wrote Pinax Theatri Botanici which listed about 6,000 species of plants including their synonyms
J.P. de Tournefort
Author of the modern genus concept; gave descriptions of 698 genera (10,146 species); classification based on tree/herb, apetalous/petalous/gamopetalous, regular/irregular flowers
J. Ray
English, produced keys to genera and recognized 18,000 species in his Methodus Historia Plantarum; utilized a large numbers of characters of the flower and vegetative parts