1. Phylogeny & Cladistics Flashcards
Domain
one of two prokaryotic domains, the other being archaea
kingdom
a taxonomic category, the second broadest after domain
phylum
the taxonomic category above class
class
the taxonomic category above the level of order
order
the taxonomic category above the level of family
family
the taxonomic category above genus
genus
a taxonomic category above the species level, designated by the first word of a species’ two-part scientific name
species
a population whose members have the potential to interbreed in nature and produce offspring but do not produce offspring with members of other such groups
taxon/taxa
a named taxonomic unit at any given level of classification
basal taxon
in a specified group of organisms, a taxon whose evolutionary lineage diverged early in the history of the group
sister taxa
groups of organisms that share an immediate common ancestor and hence are each other’s closest relatives
outgroup
a species or group of species from an evolutionary lineage that is known to have diverged before the lineage that contains the ingroup
clade
a group of species that includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants; a monophyletic group
grade
a group of organisms that share the same level of organizational complexity or share a key adapatation
monophyletic
pertaining to a group of taxa that consists of a common ancestor and all of its descendant; equivalent to a clade
paraphyletic
pertaining to a group of taxa that consists of a common ancestor and some, but not all of its descendants
polyphyletic
pertaining to a group of taxa derived from 2 or more different ancestors
ancestral character
a character, shared by members of a particular clade, that originated in an ancestor that is not a member of that clade
derived character
an evolutionary novelty that is unique to a particular clade
