Editing Systematics (section)

{{Short description|Branch of biology}}
{{redirect|Systematic biology|the journal|Systematic Biology||Systematics (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Phylogenetics.svg|thumb|400px|A comparison of phylogenetic and phenetic (character-based) concepts]]
'''Systematics''' is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the [[Correlation and dependence|relationships]] among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: [[phylogenetic tree]]s, phylogenies).  Phylogenies have two components: branching order (showing group relationships, graphically represented in [[cladograms]]) and branch length (showing amount of evolution).  Phylogenetic trees of species and higher [[taxa]] are used to study the evolution of traits (e.g., anatomical or molecular characteristics) and the distribution of organisms ([[biogeography]]). Systematics, in other words, is used to understand the evolutionary history of life on Earth.

The word systematics is derived from the Latin word of Ancient Greek origin ''[[wikt:systema#Latin|systema]],'' which means systematic arrangement of organisms. [[Carl Linnaeus]] used '[[Systema Naturae]]' as the title of his book.