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Switching to Phylogenetics (2 of 2)

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  1. Looking at names
    Biologists deal with phylogenetic classification by de-emphasizing ranks and by reassigning names so that they are only applied to clades. This means that your use of biological names doesn’t have to change very much. In many cases, the Linnaean names are perfectly good in the phylogenetic system. For example, Aves, which is the class of birds in the Linnaean system, is also used as a phylogenetic name, since birds form a clade (right).
 Aves is a valid group in both classifications

    Most of the specific names that you are accustomed to using (e.g., Homo sapiens, Drosophila melanogaster) have not changed at all with the rise of phylogenetic classification.

    However, there are some names from Linnaean classification that do NOT work in a phylogenetic classification. For example, the reptiles do not form a clade—unless you count birds too.
Reptiles is not a clade
As typically conceived, the group Reptiles does not form a clade, so this is not a valid phylogenetic name.		 Reptilia (with birds) is a clade
However, if birds are included, Reptilia is a valid phylogenetic name.
 
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