Coral taxonomy and evolution

Abstract

Taxonomy has changed from being a science in its own right to being a servant of other disciplines. It must now reflect natural order, incorporating changes in space (biogeography) as well as time (evolution). Environmental and geographic variations in corals form continuities that override concepts of taxonomically defined species being natural units. Natural order is seen in the existence of syngameons, a highly intuitive genetic concept that replaces traditional Darwinian order. Evolution of this order produces reticulate patterns in both geographic space and evolutionary time. These patterns are molded by environmental mechanisms, not natural selection. Relevant evolutionary theories are compared in historical context and the mechanisms that link reticulate evolution with Darwinian concepts are discussed. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.