On some features of historical morphogenesis

Abstract

The results of the analysis of the diversity dynamics and phylogenetic schemes of various taxa (from species up to classes) show that taxa of different ranks evolved as separate integral natural systems. The main trends in the diversity dynamics of classes and orders are quite different from those of genera and families. The diversity dynamics of genera and families reflect the adaptive essence of these taxonomic categories in the evolution. About five short episodes of mass appearances of genera and families took place in the Phanerozoic. The taxonomic categories of classes and orders are characterized by the archetypes of these groups, and their diversity decreased in the evolution. The appearance of these taxa is not connected with the mass extinctions and changes in the abiotic environment.