DIAGRAMAS RAMIFICADOS DE RELACIONES EN BIOLOGIA COMPARADA

Abstract

For many years branching diagrams were only conceived as pictorial representations of assumed evolutionary history of a group of organisms, showing patterns of ancestry. and descend, probably because their dentritic topology was taken from human family trees. More recently, specially since 1950 decade, these diagrams were also used to depict non-genealogical relationships.' In the present paper the meaning of bidimensional branching diagrams that show different kinds of relationships among extant and/or extinct groups (dendograms) is discussed. Phenograms, cladograms phylograms and phylogenetic trees are considered. Examination of the literature shows that interpretation of some branching diagrams requires careful analysis of their theoretieal basis