families

[LUCIANO PAGANUCCI DE QUEIROZ]

I think that the question of families as biological units must be addressed
by different ways than the present debate:

1. Species and populations have biological reality and, consequently, some
properties exclusive of these levels. Then, I think it is not possible to
generalize attributes as competition to supraspecific (human construct)
levels. If we think a bit more on biological processes can anyone envisage
a process by which a family act, as a whole, as a selection unity ?

2. The taxonomic concentration of some families in particular areas, as the
Rhizophoraceae in mangroves or Dipterocarpaceae in South-eastern Asian
forests may give the false view that the family is acting as a selection
unity. If we see this question from a phylogenetic perspective, the
competitive ability of the family may be seen as one (or some) apomorphic
traits of its ancestral species that gave this ability to this species. If
these traits were inhereted by the descendent species the so called
competitive ability of the family is in fact the effect of enhanced
competitivity of their component species.

LUCIANO




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LUCIANO PAGANUCCI DE QUEIROZ
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana
Departamento de Ci=EAncias Biol=F3gicas
Herb=E1rio
Km 03 - BR 116, Campus
44031-460, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brasil
Fone (075) 2248021
Fax (075) 2248019
E-mail: lqueiroz at uefs.br