In this phylogenetic tree, the blue and red groups (which are both monophyletic) do not share an immediate common ancestor. If they are grouped together because they share characteristics which appear to be similar, then their combination forms a polyphyletic group.Cladogram of the primates, showing a monophyly (the simians, in yellow), a paraphyly (the prosimians, in cyan, including the red patch), and a polyphyly (the night-active primates, the lorises and the tarsiers, in red).Phylogenetic groups: A monophyletic taxon (in yellow, the clade Sauropsida grouping "reptiles and birds") contains a common ancestor and all of its descendants. A paraphyletic taxon (in cyan, the "reptiles") contains its most recent common ancestor, but does not contain all the descendants of that ancestor. A polyphyletic taxon (in red, the group Haemothermia containing warm-blooded tetrapods) does not contain the most recent common ancestor of all its members.
A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor.[1] The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of convergent evolution. The arrangement of the members of a polyphyletic group is called a polyphyly/ˈpɒlɪˌfaɪli/.[2] It is contrasted with monophyly and paraphyly.
For example, the biological characteristic of warm-bloodedness evolved separately in the ancestors of mammals and the ancestors of birds; "warm-blooded animals" is therefore a polyphyletic grouping.[3] Other examples of polyphyletic groups are algae, C4 photosynthetic plants,[4] and edentates.[5]
Many taxonomists aim to avoid homoplasies in grouping taxa together, with a goal to identify and eliminate groups that are found to be polyphyletic. This is often the stimulus for major revisions of the classification schemes. Researchers concerned more with ecology than with systematics may take polyphyletic groups as legitimate subject matter; the similarities in activity within the fungus group Alternaria, for example, can lead researchers to regard the group as a valid genus while acknowledging its polyphyly.[6] In recent research, the concepts of monophyly, paraphyly, and polyphyly have been used in deducing key genes for barcoding of diverse groups of species.[7]
^Urry, Lisa A. (2016). Campbell Biology (11th ed.). Pearson. p. 558. ISBN 978-0-134-09341-3.
^"polyphyly". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 28 December 2021. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.). [Source for pronunciation.]
^Archibald, J. David (2014-07-15). Aristotle's Ladder, Darwin's Tree: The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231164122.
^Sage, Rowan F. (2004-02-01). "The evolution of C4 photosynthesis". New Phytologist. 161 (2): 341–370. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2004.00974.x. ISSN 1469-8137. PMID 33873498.
^Delsuc, Frédéric; Douzery, Emmanuel J. P. (2008). "Recent advances and future prospects in xenarthran molecular phylogenetics". In Vizcaíno, Sergio F.; Loughry, W. J. (eds.). The biology of the Xenarthra. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. pp. 11–23. ISBN 9780813031651. OCLC 741613153.
^Aschehoug, Erik T.; Metlen, Kerry L.; Callaway, Ragan M.; Newcombe, George (2012). "Fungal endophytes directly increase the competitive effects of an invasive forb". Ecology. 93 (1): 3–8. doi:10.1890/11-1347.1. PMID 22486080.
^Parhi J., Tripathy P.S., Priyadarshi, H., Mandal S.C., Pandey P.K. (2019). "Diagnosis of mitogenome for robust phylogeny: A case of Cypriniformes fish group". Gene. 713: 143967. doi:10.1016/j.gene.2019.143967. PMID 31279710. S2CID 195828782.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
valid genus while acknowledging its polyphyly. In recent research, the concepts of monophyly, paraphyly, and polyphyly have been used in deducing key genes...
ancestor, without exception Monophyly is contrasted with paraphyly and polyphyly as shown in the second diagram. A paraphyletic grouping meets 1. but not...
the descendants of a unique common ancestor. By comparison, the term polyphyly, or polyphyletic, uses the Ancient Greek prefix πολύς (polús), meaning...
A tetrapod (/ˈtɛtrəˌpɒd/; from Ancient Greek τετρα- (tetra-) 'four', and πούς (poús) 'foot') is any four-limbed vertebrate animal of the superclass Tetrapoda...
evolutionary relationships of this class were unclear. Proponents of polyphyly argued the following: that the similarities between these groups are the...
Paraphyly Phylogenetic network Phylogenetic nomenclature Phylogenetics Polyphyly A semantic case has been made in 2008 that the name should be "holophyletic"...
Frodin & Jun Wen (2005). "Phylogeny and geography of Schefflera: pervasive polyphyly in the largest genus of Araliaceae". Annals of the Missouri Botanical...
were implanted separately into each much more recently. This probable polyphyly of the chromophyte algae, if confirmed, would make it desirable to treat...
four major clades with suggestive evidence for paraphyly or possibly polyphyly. The Blastocladiomycota were previously considered a taxonomic clade within...
2022-02-13. Ropiquet, A. & Hassanin, A. 2005. Molecular evidence for the polyphyly of the genus Hemitragus (Mammalia, Bovidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and...
Zool. 10 (in French). VII: 1–84. Gugger MF, Hoffmann L (March 2004). "Polyphyly of true branching cyanobacteria (Stigonematales)". International Journal...
subclasses to classes. Since then phylogenetic studies have confirmed the polyphyly of Maxillipoda and the paraphyletic nature of Crustacea with respect to...
Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2024-01-05. Groh, S.; Giribet, G. (2015). "Polyphyly of Caddoidea, reinstatement of the family Acropsopilionidae in Dyspnoi...
having any formal information content – they are merely parts of clades. Polyphyly A polyphyletic assemblage is one which is neither monophyletic nor paraphyletic...
OCLC 4008435. Ropiquet, A. & Hassanin, A. (2005). "Molecular evidence for the polyphyly of the genus Hemitragus (Mammalia, Bovidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics...
(2011). "Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences reveals polyphyly in the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) although gene introgression...
184–191. Ropiquet, A.; Hassanin, A. (2005). "Molecular evidence for the polyphyly of the genus Hemitragus (Mammalia, Bovidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics...
Asphodelaceae subfamily Alooideae: A final resolution of the prickly issue of polyphyly in the Alooids?" Systematic Botany 39(1):55-74. Molteno S. 2022. "Phyllotaxis...
Asphodelaceae Subfamily Alooideae: A Final Resolution of the Prickly Issue of Polyphyly in the Alooids?". Systematic Botany. 39 (1): 55–74. doi:10.1600/036364414X678044...
G.; Spellman, G.M. (2004). "Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA evidence of polyphyly in the avian superfamily Muscicapoidea". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution...
Ze-Long; Johnson, Gabriel; Liang, Zong-Suo; Chang, Zhao-Yang (2013-05-01). "Polyphyly of the Padus group of Prunus (Rosaceae) and the evolution of biogeographic...
(2010-11-27). "Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences reveals polyphyly in the goitred gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa)". Conservation Genetics...
ISBN 978-0-313-33922-6. Żyła, Dagmara; Homan, Agnieszka; Wegierek, Piotr (2017). "Polyphyly of the extinct family Oviparosiphidae and its implications for inferring...
The paper discussed the various hypotheses for caecilian origins: the polyphyly hypothesis (caecilians as lepospondyls, and other lissamphibians as temnospondyls)...
Johnson, Gabriel; Liang, Zong-Suo; Chang, Zhao-Yang (14 December 2012). "Polyphyly of the Padus group of Prunus (Rosaceae) and the evolution of biogeographic...
Susanne S. (2012). "Molecular phylogenetics of Echinopsis (Cactaceae): Polyphyly at all levels and convergent evolution of pollination modes and growth...
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