cladistics
/kləˈdɪstɪks
/plural noun [treated as singular] Biology
A method of classification of animals and plants that aims to identify and take account of only those shared characteristics which can be deduced to have originated in the common ancestor of a group of species during evolution, not those arising by convergence.The second half of the 20th century has seen the advent of two revolutions in systematics: cladistics and molecular phylogenetics....
- Today, cladistics is the method of choice for classifying life because it recognizes and employs evolutionary theory.
- Of course, it is possible to do cladistics without reference to evolution, but nothing in biology makes much sense-including cladistics-except in the light of evolution.
Derivatives
cladism
- The two main methods for developing phylogenies in palaeontology are evolutionary systematics and phylogenetic systematics or cladism.
- They argue against cladism and are in favour of retaining the Linnean methodology.
- However, in two places I was surprised to find that the scientist - who earlier had exposed himself as a pronounced skeptic against pattern cladism - argues like a transformed cladist.
cladistic
- However, a cladistic approach to phenotype association studies does not require a complete absence of recombination.
- We are not aware, however, of any previous studies that have used cladistic methods to define paleontological species.
- He has the distinction of being one of the very early converts to cladistic methods in vertebrate paleontology.
Origin
1960s: from clade + -ist + -ics.