Evolution Final Flashcards
evolutionary relationships of taxa organized into a nested hierarchy
Phylogeny
Evolution is directional and works toward a goal. IT DOES NOT!
Linear progression
Orthogenesis
any named group or organisms
Taxon
base of the tree; represents ancestral lineage
Root
moves forward from the root
Time
divergence points representing last common ancestor
Nodes
Represents evolutionary path
Branches
descendant taxa
Tips
continuous line of descent from ancestor to descendant. Each branch represents part of a longer lineage
Lineage
nested group that includes common ancestor and descendants
Clade
splitting of ancestral lineage into >1 descendant lineage, thus forming a clade
Cladogenesis
inferred from the divergence (node) that connects them
Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA)
traits in common because inherited from common ancestor
Character
Requirements for characters: (3)
Independent
Heritable
Variable
Types of characters: (5)
Morphological structures
DNA sequences
Chromosome numbers
Behavior
Chemical compounds
evolutionary changes from the Ancestral to the Derived State
Character State Transitions
state of that trait in the ancestor
Ancestral
how that trait has changed in the descendant lineage
Derived
derived trait unique to a clade or lineage; distinguishes it from ancestors
Apomorphy
- Apomorphy that is shared by multiple taxa as a result of shared, most recent ancestry
- Used to group taxa into clades
- Among 2+ taxa
Synapomorphy
unique state for 1 taxon
Autapomorphy
ancestral state
Plesiomorphy
Plesiomorphy in 2+ taxa
Symplesiomorphy
Groups that includes common ancestor and all its descendants
Taxa can be members of multiple, nested monophyletic groups
Monophyletic Groups (Clades)
group that includes common ancestor + some descendants, excludes some descendants
Paraphyletic groups
group that includes some descendants, excludes common ancestor and some descendants
Polyphyletic group
similarity due to common ancestry
Synapomorphies, symplesiomorphies
Homology
similarity due to independent evolution of a character state – not from a common ancestor
Homoplasy
3 types of homoplasy
Convergence, Reversal, convergent reversals
independent evolution of a similar character
Convergence
loss of a derived trait and reversal to ancestral state
Reversal
loss of derived trait, happening over and over
Convergent Reversals
calculating genetic similarity
Fast, easy, but less robust
Genetic Distance
minimizing the total number of synapomorphic transitions
Parsimony
maximize homology and minimize homoplasy
Maximum Parsimony
closely-related taxon used to determine polarity and root the tree
Outgroup
Parsimony-Informative Characters Criteria:
> or equal to 2 states
For at least 2 states, each must be in at least 2 taxa
incorporate models, but computationally expensive
Maximum Likelihood
statistical support using pseudoreplicate data
Bootstrapping
mutations accumulate at a constant(ish) rate
More time = more mutations
Molecular Clock
inferring change since divergence
Scaled branch length are calibrated to substitutions
Branch Length
Steps toward speciation (3)
Isolation
Divergence
Secondary contact (reinforcement)
What can happen to lineages over time? (3 possibilities)
Change
Diverge
Independent evolutionary path
Distinct phenotypic traits
Aligns with what we see
Apply to asexual and extinct species
Social amoebas - Asexual
Limitations - no common criteria, homoplasy, polyp (asexual stage), sexual dimorphism
Cryptic Species:
Morphological