Cycle 9 Flashcards

Evolutionary Relationships

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1
Q

Q: What is the direction of time in phylogenetic trees?

A

A: Time moves from the base to the tips of the tree.

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2
Q

Q: What is a clade in phylogenetic classification?

A

A: A clade includes all descendants of a most recent common ancestor (MRCA).

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3
Q

Q: What type of groups are recognized in cladistic classification?

A

A: Only monophyletic groups (clades), where members are more closely related to each other than to any outside the group.

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4
Q

Q: Why are traits like autapomorphies and symplesiomorphies not useful in phylogenetic analysis?

A

Autapomorphies are unique and do not reveal relationships between taxa.
Symplesiomorphies are ancestral and already present in the MRCA, so they are not informative.

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5
Q

Q: What is a synapomorphy?

A

A: A shared, derived trait present in the MRCA of a subset of taxa but not the MRCA of the entire group. It reveals evolutionary relationships.

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6
Q

Q: What is an ancestral trait?

A
  • A trait that was present in the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of a group.
  • It is inherited from earlier ancestors without significant change.
  • Example: The backbone in vertebrates is ancestral because it was present in the MRCA of all vertebrates.
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7
Q

Q: What is an derived trait?

A
  • A trait that has evolved after the MRCA of a group.
  • It is new or modified compared to the ancestral state.
  • Example: Feathers in birds are derived because they evolved after the MRCA of all amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals).
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8
Q

Q: What is the key difference between ancestral and derived traits?

A
  • Ancestral traits are “old” traits that were already present in earlier ancestors.
  • Derived traits are “new” traits that arose in a particular lineage after divergence from a common ancestor.
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9
Q

Q: How does outgroup comparison help in phylogenetics?

A

A: It helps determine if a trait is ancestral or derived based on whether it is present in the outgroup and ingroup.

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10
Q

Q: What is homology?

A

A: A similarity due to common ancestry.

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11
Q

Q: What is homoplasy, and how can it mislead phylogenetic analysis?

A

A: Homoplasy is misleading similarity or dissimilarity, such as convergent or divergent evolution, which does not reflect common ancestry.

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12
Q

Q: What traits were identified as synapomorphies in the ingroup example (chicken, bat, chipmunk)?

A

A:
Wings (shared, derived trait in some).
Fur (shared, derived trait in some).
Lactation (shared, derived trait in some)

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