Bio 1011 Chapter 26

Question 1

phylogeny

Answer 1

The evolutionary history of a species or a group of species

Question 2

systematics

Answer 2

A scientific discipline focused on classifying organisms and determining their evolutionary relationships

Question 3

taxonomy

Answer 3

The scientific study of how living things are classified

Question 4

binomial

Answer 4

The two part scientific name of a species, consisting of genus and specific epithet. Instituted by Carolus Linnaeus in the 18th century

Question 5

taxon

Answer 5

A named taxonomic unit at any given level of classification

Question 6

phylongenetic tree

Answer 6

A branching diagram that represents the evolutionary history of a group of organisms. It also provides a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships, called branch points.

Question 7

branch point

Answer 7

The two way points that represent the divergence of two evolutionary lineages from a common ancestor

Question 8

sister taxa

Answer 8

Groups of organisms that share an immediate common ancestor

Question 9

rooted

Answer 9

Describes a phylogenetic tree that contains a branch point representing the last common ancestor of all taxa in the tree

Question 10

polytomy

Answer 10

A branch point from which more than two descendant groups emerge

Question 11

homoplasies

Answer 11

Analogous structures or molecular sequence that has evolved independently. Ex: a bat’s wings to that of a bird’s wings.

Question 12

molecular systematics

Answer 12

The discipline that uses DNA and other molecular data to determine evolutionary relationships

Question 13

clade

Answer 13

A group of species that includes an ancestral species and all its descendants.

Question 14

shared ancestral character

Answer 14

A character, shared by members of a particular clade, that originated in an ancestor of the taxon

Question 15

outgroup

Answer 15

A species or group of species from an evolutionary lineage that is known to have diverged before the lineage that contains the group of species being studied.

Question 16

maximum parsimony

Answer 16

A principle that states that when considering multiple explanations for an observation, one should first investigate the simplest explanation that is consistent with the facts

Question 17

orthologous genes

Answer 17

Homologous genes that are found in different species because of speciation

Question 18

maximum likelihood

Answer 18

A principle that states that when considering multiple phylogenetic hypotheses, one should take into account the one that reflects the most likely sequence of evolutionary events, given certain rules about how DNA changes over time

Question 19

paralogous genes

Answer 19

Homologous genes that are found in the same genome due to gene duplication

Question 20

horizontal gene transfer

Answer 20

A process in which genes are transferred from one genome to another through mechanisms such as exchange of transposable elements and plasmids, viral infection, and perhaps fusions of organisms

Question 21

monophyletic

Answer 21

Pertaining to a group of taxa that consists of a common ancestor and all its descendants.

Question 22

polyphyletic

Answer 22

Pertaining to a group of taxa derived from two or more different ancestors

Question 23

paraphyletic

Answer 23

Pertaining to a group of taxa that consist of a common ancestor and some, but not all, of its descendants.

Question 24

cladistics

Answer 24

An approach to systematics in which organisms are placed into groups called clades based primarily on common descent.

Question 25

Domain

Answer 25

the first, base for the classification.

Question 26

kingdom

Answer 26

A taxonomic category, the second broadest after domain.

Question 27

Phylum

Answer 27

In classification, the taxonomic category above kingdon

Question 28

Class

Answer 28

In classification, the taxonomic category above the level of phylum.

Question 29

Order

Answer 29

In classification, the taxonomic category above the level of class.

Question 30

Family

Answer 30

In classification, the taxonomic category above order.

Question 31

genus

Answer 31

First part of a binomial name that indicates which species the organism belongs to. Its above the family.

Question 32

species

Answer 32

In classification, the taxonomic category above genus.

Question 33

basal taxon

Answer 33

In a specified group of organisms, a taxon whose evolutionary lineage diverged early in the history of the group.

Question 34

Analogy

Answer 34

Similarity between two species that is due to convergent evolution. Similarities due to adaptation/evolution.