families

[Thomas Schlemmermeyer]

In response to the thread about selection at the family or higher taxon
level, I would like to add a famous example (often cited by E.O.Wilson) :

While Attini (leaf-cutter-ants) diversified after the split of South America
and Africa exclusively in South America, Marcotermitinae
(fungus-growing-termites) diversified in the Old World (Africa).

maybe one can say these taxa act as biological units, but at a somewhat larger
geological time scale.

                           Thomas