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The Linnaean Hierarchy And The Evolutionization Of Taxonomy, With Emphasis On The Problem Of Nomenclature, Kevin De Queiroz

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Floristic Botany

During the post-Darwinian history of taxonomy, the Linnaean hierarchy has maintained its role as a means for representing hierarchical taxonomic relationships. During the same period, the principle of descent has taken on an increasingly important role as the basis for reformulated versions of fundamental taxonomic concepts and principles. Early in this history, the principle of descent provided an explanation for the existence of taxa and implied a nested, hierarchical structure for taxonomic relationships. Although an evolutionary explanation for taxa contradicted the Aristotelian context within which the Linnaean hierarchy was developed, the nested, hierarchical structure of taxonomic rela· tionships implied by …