Biochemistry and Taxonomy

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Abstract
Biochemical materials integrate readily into the standard body of taxonomic method. The use of biochemical materials requires a clear understanding of regular taxonomic methods, of the kinds of information used by various methods, and of the kinds and uses of conclusions from taxonomic analysis. Too often in the past, biochemical taxonomists have assumed that taxonomic methods were more obvious than they really are, and that biochemical evidence is more weighty than it could possibly be. In order to place biochemical data in context, this review has detailed (not always completely) the taxonomic process from the description of the character to the formation of dendrograms. It has emphasized what should or could be done at the different steps when biochemical characters are to be incorporated into taxonomic data. Biochemical methods provide access to a great deal of high quality information. This information can be applied to the solution of taxonomic problems at all levels if the nature of the information is understood and the requirements of the problem appreciated. Some special biochemical approaches, notably from protein chemistry, DNA hybridizations and immunochemistry, promise to be of extreme importance to the development of our understanding of the relationships between the higher taxa.