dl:dr Could you please summarize in a few sentences why a monophletic taxonomy is important to science.
Im currently working on a short presentation I have to do for my biology exams, including the rather unintuitive claim that whales are "Hoofed animals" (Euungulata). To substantiate that claim I want to quickly explain what monophyly means and why it is important. I get the general idea that paraphyletic or even polyphyletic classifications are bad for classifing new discoverys because if there's one exception, whats to say there aren't more. But I'm not confident enough to summarize that in just a few sentences.
I know how complex and thereby intimidating phylogenetics can be for newbies. I have an interest in teaching complex ideas as more understandable content for laymen, and I believe these sources below assist with that.
To key to understanding anything is being able to concretize them, i.e. grounding them to real-life examples. Until then, they're just floating abstractions and one's understanding is more akin to memorizing claims rather than aspects of reality (cue debates on our education system).
I've found that understanding what monophyly is is key to understanding why modern scientists have made the switch from morphological taxonomy to ancestral taxonomy (phylogenetics) and furthermore, why that switch is so useful. To understand monophyly, visualizing examples in contrast to other phylogenetic relationships is useful:
- Concepts of monophyly, polyphyly, & paraphyly
- Primate cladogram
- Vertebrate cladogram
- If you'd like more examples, here are more from Google Images
Finally, UCB (University of California, Berkeley) has a great glossary on phylogenetics that I've found to be just right for the beginner, i.e. not too concise and not too comprehensive:
And as a bonus, UCB also has a vast glossary of paleontology in general: https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/glossary.html
I'm currently trying to work out whether frogs and toads are a monophyletic, paraphyletic or polyphyletic group. I've made a tree and the toads and frogs are all mixed in with no clear division so I'm assuming monophyletic can be disregarded. However, I'm unsure how to tell if the tree is paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Can anyone give me some help on the differences and how you can spot them on a tree?
What characters make butterflies monophyletic? Why is this considered a moth?
Go post NSFW jokes somewhere else. If I can't tell my kids this joke, then it is not a DAD JOKE.
If you feel it's appropriate to share NSFW jokes with your kids, that's on you. But a real, true dad joke should work for anyone's kid.
Mods... If you exist... Please, stop this madness. Rule #6 should simply not allow NSFW or (wtf) NSFL tags. Also, remember that MINORS browse this subreddit too? Why put that in rule #6, then allow NSFW???
Please consider changing rule #6. I love this sub, but the recent influx of NSFW tagged posts that get all the upvotes, just seem wrong when there are good solid DAD jokes being overlooked because of them.
Thank you,
A Dad.
Martin Freeman, and Andy Serkis.
They also play roles in Lord of the Rings.
I guess that makes them the Tolkien white guys.
She said apple-lutely
Well, toucan play at that game.
'Eye-do'
This is my first post pls don't kill me lol.
The people in the comment section is why I love this subreddit!!
Cred once again my sis wants credit lol
I heard parents named their children lance a lot.
First post please don't kill me
Edit: i went to sleep and now my inbox is dead, thank you kind strangers for the awards!
second hand stores!
it's Hans free now..
Old Neeeeiiiiighvy
10+10 is twenty and 11+11 is twenty too
A buck-an-ear!
I Thank ye kind Matey for the booty! I be truly overwhelmed! Thank you!
Holy cow! Thank you everyone for the upvotes and awards! I wasnβt expecting this!
He should have a good vowel movement. His next diaper change could spell disaster though.
Making it all the way home and realizing that they forgot one of the containers:
Riceless
That was the punchline
Without missing a beat he asks "Daddy, do you know how much room you need to grow Fungi like that?"
I did not know.
So he tells me "as Mushroom as possible!"
So proud.
Feyonce
He was so brave and even tried to encourage us, the family around him, with his last breaths. He kept whispering to us to Be Positive.
He said, βChange the batteries in your hearing aidβ.
