chloroplast and other genes (was Lucy in Newsweek)

[HJJACOBSON at AOL.COM]

In a message dated 4/6/2004 12:29:19 PM Pacific Standard Time,
deepreef at BISHOPMUSEUM.ORG writes:

> Other than temporal and spatial evidence (i.e., historical biogeography &
> the fossil record), is there *any* form of phylogenetically informative
> evidence that is not, in some form or another, burried within the genome?
> For example, could memes represent a meaningful line of evidence used for
> inferring phylogenies?
>

In some insects there are bacteria and at least one virus I know of that are
transmitted and only transmitted through the egg. Could the infection pattern
be considered phylogentic? Some have suggested they are on their way to
becoming organelles. For that matter could mitochondria considered a non-genomic
indicator of phylogeny?

Herb