10.3 Phylogeny Flashcards
What is phylogeny?
Name given to the evolutionary relationships between organisms
What are phylogenetics?
The study of evolutionary history of groups of organisms
What do phylogenetics tell us?
It reveals what group a particular organism is related to and how closely related they are
What is a phylogenetic tree? What does it consist of?
Is a diagram that is used to represent evolutionary relationships between organisms.
Are branched diagrams which show that different species have evolved from a common ancestor
How is a phylogenetic tree structured?
The earliest species are found at the base of the tree and most recent specie is found at the tips of the branch
Nodes on the tree represent the common ancestor of those descendants
The closer the branches of the tree, the closer the evolutionary relationship
How are phylogenetic trees made?
Produced by looking at similarities and differences in species - physical characteristics and genetic make up
Why is phylogeny important to Biology? Advantages as well?
It can be used in classification - by checking if the groups are correct
[advantages]
Phylogeny can be done without the reference to Linnaean classification
Phylogeny produces a continuous tree whereas classification requires a discrete taxonomic group { So scientist are not forced to put organisms into a specific group that does not fit}
Why can the Hierarchical nature of the Linnaean classification be misleading?
This is because the Linnaean system implies different groups in the same rank are equivalent which is misleading. As it doesn’t take into account the history of each spice and the time of existence.
