Taxonomy & Classification

Polyphyletic Group

다계통군

Definition

An artificial group whose members do not share an immediate common ancestor, not reflecting true phylogeny.

Detailed Explanation

Polyphyletic groups arise when taxonomists group organisms by convergent features rather than shared ancestry. Warm-bloodedness unites birds and mammals, but they evolved endothermy independently — grouping them would be polyphyletic. Modern phylogenetics has dissolved many traditional groups revealed to be polyphyletic, dramatically reshaping classifications in plants, fungi, and microorganisms over the past 30 years.

More in Taxonomy & Classification