Phylogeny inference and the classification of organisms are indispensable for all fields of biology. On the basis of a well corroborated tree of life it is possible to understand the evolution of structure and function, of genomes, of gene families, of cascades of developmental genes, and the origin of genes of medical importance. Ecologists need a stable classification of organisms to identify organisms, to find their correct names and thus further information on relevant species. This book offers an introduction to the theory of Phylogenetic Systematics and is a companion for all biologists who want to analyze morphological or molecular data with classical methods or with modern computer programs. The first part of the book explains the epistemological basis that is independent of the type of method used to construct phylogenetic trees. Unlike other empirical sciences, the estimation of data quality in phylogenetics is still little developed and very often neglected. Here a theoretical basis is presented that enables the systematist to assess critically and objectively the quality of different data sets and to make statements on the plausibility of results. This requires a conception of the notions of information content, probability of homology, probability of cognition, probability of events, the principle of parsimony, the differentiation of phenomenological and modelling methods. Willi Hennig's original method is compared with modern numerical systematics and an updated Hennigian procedure of data analysis is discussed. The difference between phenetic and phylogenetic cladistics is explained. Popular tools for data evaluation implemented in computer programs are explained including their axiomatic assumptions, sources of error and possible applications. For the more common tools the mathematical background is explained in a simple, easy-to-understand way.Johann-Wolfgang Wagele was until recently head of the Department for Animal Systematics (Lehrstuhl fur Spezielle Zoologie) at the University of Bochum and is now director of the Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn (Germany). His main research interests are the taxonomy, phylogeny and biodiversity of Isopoda, which implies observations of life history, biogeography and ecology in combination with phylogeny inference. Further subjects include arthropod phylogeny and tools for explorative data analyses. The author is president of the Gesellschaft fur Biologische Systematik, a Central European society of systematists, and he is actively promoting biodiversity research.

Anyone interested in comparative biology or the history of science will find this myth-busting work genuinely fascinating. It draws attention to the seminal studies and important advances that have shaped systematic and biogeographic thinking. It traces concepts in homology and classification from the 19th century to the present through the provision of a unique anthology of scientific writings from Goethe, Agassiz, Owen, Naef, Zangerl and Nelson, among others.

Phylogenetic Systematics: Haeckel to Hennig traces the development of phylogenetic systematics against the foil of idealistic morphology through 100 years of German biology. It starts with the iconic Ernst Haeckel-the German Darwin from Jena-and the evolutionary morphology he developed. It ends with Willi Hennig, the founder of modern phylogenetic

The Evolution of Phylogenetic Systematics aims to make sense of the rise of phylogenetic systematics—its methods, its objects of study, and its theoretical foundations—with contributions from historians, philosophers, and biologists. This volume articulates an intellectual agenda for the study of systematics and taxonomy in a way that connects classification with larger historical themes in the biological sciences, including morphology, experimental and observational approaches, evolution, biogeography, debates over form and function, character transformation, development, and biodiversity. It aims to provide frameworks for answering the question: how did systematics become phylogenetic?

This book documents Willi Hennig's founding of phylogenetic systematics and the relevancy of his work for the future of cladistics.

Foundations of Biogeography provides facsimile reprints of seventy-two works that have proven fundamental to the development of the field. From classics by Georges-Louis LeClerc Compte de Buffon, Alexander von Humboldt, and Charles Darwin to equally seminal contributions by Ernst Mayr, Robert MacArthur, and E. O. Wilson, these papers and book excerpts not only reveal biogeography's historical roots but also trace its theoretical and empirical development. Selected and introduced by leading biogeographers, the articles cover a wide variety of taxonomic groups, habitat types, and geographic regions. Foundations of Biogeography will be an ideal introduction to the field for beginning students and an essential reference for established scholars of biogeography, ecology, and evolution. List of Contributors John C. Briggs, James H. Brown, Vicki A. Funk, Paul S. Giller, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Lawrence R. Heaney, Robert Hengeveld, Christopher J. Humphries, Mark V. Lomolino, Alan A. Myers, Brett R. Riddle, Dov F. Sax, Geerat J. Vermeij, Robert J. Whittaker

Phylogenetic Systematics, first published in 1966, marks a turning point in the history of systematic biology. Willi Hennig's influential synthetic work, arguing for the primacy of the phylogenetic system as the general reference system in biology, generated significant controversy and opened possibilities for evolutionary biology that are still being explored.

This book is about phylogenetic diversity as an approach to reduce biodiversity losses in this period of mass extinction. Chapters in the first section deal with questions such as the way we value phylogenetic diversity among other criteria for biodiversity conservation; the choice of measures; the loss of phylogenetic diversity with extinction; the importance of organisms that are deeply branched in the tree of life, and the role of relict species. The second section is composed by contributions exploring methodological aspects, such as how to deal with abundance, sampling effort, or conflicting trees in analysis of phylogenetic diversity. The last section is devoted to applications, showing how phylogenetic diversity can be integrated in systematic conservation planning, in EDGE and HEDGE evaluations. This wide coverage makes the book a reference for academics, policy makers and stakeholders dealing with biodiversity conservation.

Biological Science Fundamentals and Systematics is a component of Encyclopedia of Biological, Physiological and Health Sciences in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. The Theme on Biological Science Fundamentals and Systematics provides the essential aspects and a myriad of issues of great relevance to our world such as: History and Scope of Biological Sciences; The Origin and Evolution of Early Life; Evolution; Classification and Diversity of Life Forms; Systematics of Microbial Kingdom (s) and Fungi; Systematic Botany; Systematic Zoology: Invertebrates; Systematic Zoology: Vertebrates which are then expanded into multiple subtopics, each as a chapter. These four volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.