Editing Systematics (section)

==Definition and relation with taxonomy==

[[John Lindley]] provided an early definition of systematics in 1830, although he wrote of "systematic botany" rather than using the term "systematics".<ref>Wilkins, J. S. ''[http://evolvingthoughts.net/2011/02/what-is-systematics-and-what-is-taxonomy/ What is systematics and what is taxonomy?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827124330/http://evolvingthoughts.net/2011/02/what-is-systematics-and-what-is-taxonomy/ |date=2016-08-27 }}''. Available on http://evolvingthoughts.net</ref>

In 1970  Michener ''et al.'' defined "systematic biology" and "[[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]]" (terms that are often confused and used interchangeably) in relationship to one another as follows:<ref>Michener, Charles D., John O. Corliss, Richard S. Cowan, Peter H. Raven, Curtis W. Sabrosky, Donald S. Squires, and G. W. Wharton (1970). ''Systematics In Support of Biological Research''. Division of Biology and Agriculture, National Research Council. Washington, D.C. 25 pp.</ref>

<blockquote>
Systematic biology (hereafter called simply systematics) is the field that (a) provides scientific names for organisms, (b) describes them, (c) preserves collections of them, (d) provides classifications for the organisms, keys for their identification, and data on their distributions, (e) investigates their evolutionary histories, and (f) considers their environmental adaptations. This is a field with a long history that in recent years has experienced a notable renaissance, principally with respect to theoretical content. Part of the theoretical material has to do with evolutionary areas (topics e and f above), the rest relates especially to the problem of classification. Taxonomy is that part of Systematics concerned with topics (a) to (d) above.
</blockquote>

The term "taxonomy" was coined by [[Augustin Pyramus de Candolle]]<ref>{{Cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=In_Lv8iMt24C&pg=PA20 |title=Plant systematics: An integrated approach |last=Singh |first=Gurcharan |date=2004 |publisher=Science Publishers |isbn=9781578083510 |page=20 |via=Google Books}}</ref> while the term "systematic" was coined by [[Carl Linnaeus]] the father of taxonomy.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Taxonomy, systematic biology, systematics, biosystematics, scientific classification, biological classification, phylogenetics: At various times in history, all these words have had overlapping, related meanings.  However, in modern usage, they can all be considered synonyms of each other.

For example, Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary of 1987 treats "classification", "taxonomy", and "systematics" as synonyms. According to this work, the terms originated in 1790, {{circa|1828}}, and in 1888 respectively. Some{{who|date=July 2013}} claim systematics alone deals specifically with relationships through time, and that it can be synonymous with [[phylogenetics]], broadly dealing with the inferred hierarchy{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} of organisms.  This means it would be a subset of taxonomy as it is sometimes regarded, but the inverse is claimed by others.{{who|date=July 2013}}

Europeans tend to use the terms "systematics" and "biosystematics" for the study of biodiversity as a whole, whereas North Americans tend to use "taxonomy" more frequently.<ref>Brusca, R. C., & Brusca, G. J. (2003). Invertebrates (2nd ed.). Sunderland, Mass. : Sinauer Associates, p. 27</ref> However, taxonomy, and in particular [[alpha taxonomy]], is more specifically the identification, description, and naming (i.e. nomenclature) of organisms,<ref name="Fortey">
{{Citation |last= Fortey |first= Richard |author-link= Richard Fortey
|year=2008
|title= Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum |location= London
|publisher= Harper Perennial |isbn= 978-0-00-720989-7
}}
</ref> while "classification" focuses on placing organisms within hierarchical groups that show their relationships to other organisms.  All of these biological disciplines can deal with both [[extinct]] and [[extant taxon|extant]] organisms.

Systematics uses taxonomy as a primary tool in understanding, as nothing about an organism's relationships with other living things can be understood without it first being properly studied and described in sufficient detail to identify and classify it correctly.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}  Scientific classifications are aids in recording and reporting information to other scientists and to laymen.  The '''systematist''', a scientist who specializes in systematics, must, therefore, be able to use existing classification systems, or at least know them well enough to skilfully justify not using them.

[[Phenetics]] was an attempt to determine the relationships of organisms through a measure of overall similarity, making no distinction between [[plesiomorph]]ies (shared ancestral traits) and [[apomorph]]ies (derived traits). From the late-20th century onwards, it was superseded by [[cladistics]], which rejects plesiomorphies in attempting to resolve the [[phylogeny]] of Earth's various organisms through time.  {{As of | 2014 | alt = Today's}} systematists generally make extensive use of [[molecular biology]] and of [[computer programs]] to study organisms.{{cn|date=June 2024}}