Re: synapomorphies

[Robert.J.Meyerson@uwrf.edu (Rob Meyerson)]

Dinogeorge writes;

>Synapomorphies do indeed exist "out there," just as the Tree of Life exists
>"out there." Proving that our cladograms correctly model the Tree of Life i=
s,
>however, almost certainly impossible, because we can't know what the Tree o=
f
>Life looks like outside this process. Thus, proving that certain apomorphie=
s
>are synapomorphies is probably also impossible. All you can do is circle
>around ever closer and converge toward what seems to be the truth, or
>reality.

And yet...

Most cladigrams I have seen tend to be constructed in the speciation model,=
 where the cladigram gets broader as one goes up the "tree" (like a maple). =
 Since Gould's punk eq has shown quite convincingly that the tree of life is=
 actually shaped like a pine, is it possible that most cladigrams portrays=
 an old fashioned view of evolution?

Rob

***
"Don't panic."