Full Idea
To the extent that the occupants of a particular niche do not coincide with the members of a particular genealogical line, a possibility widely acknowledged to occur, ecologists must favour a method of classification lacking genealogical grounding.
Gist of Idea
Ecologists favour classifying by niche, even though that can clash with genealogy
Source
John Dupré (The Disorder of Things [1993], 2)
Book Reference
Dupré,John: 'The Disorder of Things' [Harvard 1995], p.43
A Reaction
Zoo keepers probably classify by cages, or which zoo owns what, but that doesn't mean that they reject genealogy. Don't assume ecologists are rejecting any underlying classification that differs from theirs. Compare classification by economists.