kuento@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (04/27/91)
Hello again (for those who have read my previous request for opinions) As I had previously stated, I will post the paper that emerges from this discussion (as well as the concomitant literature search material) as soon as I am through with revisions. I have another question re: behaviors and cladistics, this time having to do with basic methodology in systmatics not just behavior.-- That is: traditionally, systematicians have looked for those characters that they view as being completely (or nearly so) from the force of natural selection. The reasons for doing this are unclear to me (if you think you have a good feel for this, please let me know) but i think they have to do with wanting to separate the causative agent of evolution from the process of evolution - in an effort to avoid circularity?? However, in practice this is only weakly followed at best. Most systematists that I know have openly admitted that they use whatever character that is most helpful. Including all of the aspects of an organism into the phylogenetic analysis seems to me to be the only logical process. After all, evolution works on more than just the morphology. In fact some would say taht evoltion doesn't work on the morphology and tht what is selected is the behviors that are performed with the morphology! In brief my question is threefold: a) if the characterization of the traditional approach to character selection appropriate? b) if so: why is it thought that the separation of the causes from the process necessary? c) lastly, how does this philosophically affect someone who desires to include behavior into their phylogeny? -does it mean that we should look for behav. patterns that presumably evolution doesn't act upon? -if so, how can we characterize those patterns that are immune from evolution's action? Please respond to me directly, as well as to the board. Thanks in advance for your interest, it is highly appreciated! Jim D-B ------(please include "JDB" in subj header of mail to this user)------ Jim Danoff-Burg (Snow Museum, Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045) Bitnet: KUENTO@UKANVAX "Myrmecophiles-R-Us"