Phylogenetic patterns complementary

Figure 15.6. Complementary phylogenetic patterns. (A) The two classes of lysyl-tRNA synthetases. Note that both COGs include T. pallidum] it encodes an unusual class II enzyme that might not be involved in translation. (B) Two classes of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase. Note that E. coll and A. aeolicus encode both types of aldolases.

The theory of evolution pictures a continuous genealogical nexus, within which species or taxa can be nothing but interconnected components or chunks (Hull, 1999a). The logically subordinated hierarchy will impose sharp boundaries on that continuum, yet this cannot fully succeed. The representation of patterns of phylogenetic relationships will therefore necessarily be blurred. One can view the two pictures, one of the continuity of change, the other of the discontinuity of hierarchical relationships, as complementary (Rieppel, 1988). If looked at from this perspective, the complementarity inherent in patterns versus process analysis should warn against too much of a realistic interpretation of our theories of the history of Earth relationships. 

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