[Taxacom] New systematics book

[Robin Leech]

Hi Ken, 
As usual, you hit on the proverbial nail on the head.
Robin




-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
[mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Ken Kinman
Sent: September-10-13 11:35 AM
To: JF Mate; taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New systematics book

Dear All,

 

     Since we will never have anything near a complete fossil record, we
will always have gaps that make drawing the boundary lines easier.  The gaps
in the theropod to bird transition have narrowed, but are still substantial.


 

      The question is whether we should continue to regard Archaeopterx as
the first bird, or draw the line within an earlier gap.  Hopefully we will
find a gap that has a fossilizable character (or group of characters) that
evolved relatively quickly, like the transformation of jaw bones into the
three ear bones which marks the boundary between reptiles and the first
mammals (endothermy was no help there either).

 

          ------Ken

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

> Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 09:02:31 +0200
> From: aphodiinaemate at gmail.com
> To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] New systematics book
> 
> Curtis Clark wrote:
> >One by one, the synapomorphies of
> >"birds" fall deeper into the theropods as we learn more.
> 
> If we had access to fossils for every species that has ever lived our 
> classifications would be one large list of species names. And if we 
> had access to fossils of all populations of every species that has 
> ever lived we probably wouldn´t have species either.
> 
> 
> On 10 September 2013 05:44, Curtis Clark <lists at curtisclark.org> wrote:
> 
> > On 2013-09-09 8:09 AM, Fred Schueler wrote:
> > > * if reptilia is a grade, "Birds are descended from Reptiles" is 
> > > just a way of saying "endothermy is an avian apomorphy."
> >
> > Aye, there's the rub. The evidence of endothermy in non-avian 
> > dinosaurs is pervasive if not conclusive. One by one, the 
> > synapomorphies of "birds" fall deeper into the theropods as we learn
more.
> >
> > --
> > Curtis Clark http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark Biological Sciences 
> > +1 909 869 4140 Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona CA 91768
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Taxacom Mailing List
> > Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> > http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
> >
> > The Taxacom Archive back to 1992 may be searched with either of 
> > these
> > methods:
> >
> > (1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org
> >
> > (2) a Google search specified as: site:
> > mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom your search terms here
> >
> > Celebrating 26 years of Taxacom in 2013.
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Taxacom Mailing List
> Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
> 
> The Taxacom Archive back to 1992 may be searched with either of these
methods:
> 
> (1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org
> 
> (2) a Google search specified as: 
> site:mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom your search terms here
> 
> Celebrating 26 years of Taxacom in 2013.
 		 	   		  
_______________________________________________
Taxacom Mailing List
Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom

The Taxacom Archive back to 1992 may be searched with either of these
methods:

(1) by visiting http://taxacom.markmail.org

(2) a Google search specified as:  site:mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom
your search terms here

Celebrating 26 years of Taxacom in 2013.