Biological Systematics

by Schuh, Randall T.; Brower, Andrew V. Z.

• ISBN13: 9780801447990
• ISBN10: 0801447992
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-09-01
• Publisher: Comstock Pub Assoc

Summary

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.

Table of Contents

Preface to the First Edition	p. vii
Preface to the Second Edition	p. ix
Acknowledgments to the First Edition	p. xi
Acknowledgments to the Second Edition	p. xiii
Background For The Study Of Systematics
Introduction to Systematics	p. 3
Systematics and the Philosophy of Science	p. 31
Cladistic Methods
Characters and Character States	p. 51
Character Polarity and Inferring Homology	p. 85
Tree-Building Algorithms	p. 109
Evaluating Results	p. 146
Application of Cladistic Results
Nomenclature, Classifications, and Systematic Databases	p. 173
Historical Biogeography and Host-Parasite Coevolution	p. 209
Ecology, Adaptation, and Evolutionary Scenarios	p. 230
Biodiversity and Conservation	p. 243
Appendix: Selecting and Acquiring Software	p. 253
Glossary	p. 257
Literature Cited	p. 271
Author Index	p. 297
Subject Index	p. 301
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.