Holophyletic is a term posited as a semantically correct replacement for the term monophyletic as used by cladists (which differs from the usage of evolutionary systematists).[1] It originated amidst confusion over the correct definition for monophyletic group; many definitions were available, of varying degrees of restrictiveness, and holophyletic was posited as a term to describe the definition with scientific utility.[1] The least scientifically useful definition for monophyletic, which is arguably the semantically correct one, considers any group of organisms with a common ancestor to be a monophyletic group.[2] Since it is presumed that one could find a common ancestor from any group of organisms if one goes far enough into the past, this definition implicitly or explicitly constrains what is a legitimate common ancestor, for example by requiring the common ancestor to share a derived trait (synapomorphy) which defines the group.[1]
The term holophyletic refers specifically to the definition that a group contains the common ancestor, all organisms descended from the common ancestor, and no other organisms.
The term holophyletic has not gained widespread acceptance in the scientific community,[3] probably because the term monophyletic is so widely used with the same widely understood meaning.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Ashlock, P.D. (1971). "Monophyly and associated terms". Systematic Zoology 20 (1): 63–69. doi:10.2307/2412223. JSTOR 2412223.
- ^ Envall, Mats (2008). "On the difference between mono-, holo-, and paraphyletic groups: a consistent distinction of process and pattern". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 94: 217. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2008.00984.x.
- ^ Google Scholar. "Holophyletic".
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