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Re: synapomorphies not created equal
In a message dated 9/1/01 5:46:00 PM EST, twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com writes:
<< Not necessarily. Certain apomorphies may be developmentally or
functionally linked. Some dental characters in mammals may fall into both
or either category. The enlargement and aerodynamic refinement of wing and
tail feathers may be both developmentally and functionally correlated. >>
"Linked" apomorphies nevertheless almost always follow one another in rapid
succession, unless they are parts of the >same< single apomorphy, as when
they are inseparable and you cannot have one without the other (e.g.,
enlarging one bone at the expense of reducing a neighboring bone, or
acquiring a peg in one bone and a corresponding socket in a neighboring
bone). Having two new apomorphies appear at the same time in the same species
must be a very rare coincidence, given the time available.