Evolutionary Patterns

Question 1

analogy (analogous)

Answer 1

characteristic that is similar between organisms by convergent evolution, not due to the same evolutionary path

Question 2

binomial nomenclature

Answer 2

system of two-part scientific names for an organism, which includes genus and species names

Question 3

character

Answer 3

any observable feature, or trait, of an organism, whether acquired or inherited

Question 4

character state

Answer 4

mutually exclusive features among taxa of a single paralog-equivalent assemblage that exhibit orthologous relationships to each other

Question 5

cladistics

Answer 5

system to organize homologous traits to describe phylogenies

Question 6

class

Answer 6

division of phylum in the taxonomic classification system

Question 7

domain

Answer 7

the highest taxonomic rank in the hierarchical biological classification system, above the kingdom level

Question 8

family

Answer 8

division of order in the taxonomic classification system

Question 9

genus

Answer 9

division of family in the taxonomic classification system; the first part of the binomial scientific name

Question 10

geologic timescale

Answer 10

divides up the history of the earth based on life-forms that have existed during specific times since the creation of the planet

Question 11

homology (homologous)

Answer 11

similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry

Question 12

ingroup

Answer 12

the group of living organisms whose relationships are being considered in a cladogram

Question 13

kingdom

Answer 13

domain division in the taxonomic classification system

Question 14

mass extinction

Answer 14

when species vanish much faster than they are replaced

Question 15

maximum parsimony

Answer 15

applying the simplest, most obvious way with the least number of steps

Question 16

monophyletic group

Answer 16

organisms that share a single ancestor

Question 17

node (branch point)

Answer 17

the points at the ends of branches which represent sequences or hypothetical sequences at various points in evolutionary history

Question 18

order

Answer 18

class division in the taxonomic classification system

Question 19

outgroup

Answer 19

evolutionary term used to denote a taxa or lineage that is outside a group of taxa being studied

Question 20

phylogenetic tree

Answer 20

diagram that reflects the evolutionary relationships among organisms or groups of organisms

Question 21

phylogeny

Answer 21

evolutionary history and relationship of an organism or group of organisms

Question 22

phylum

Answer 22

kingdom division in the taxonomic classification system

Question 23

polytomy

Answer 23

branch on a phylogenetic tree with more than two groups or taxa

Question 24

rooted

Answer 24

single ancestral lineage on a phylogenetic tree to which all organisms represented in the diagram relate

Question 25

shared ancestral character

Answer 25

describes a characteristic on a phylogenetic tree that all organisms on the tree share

Question 26

shared derived character

Answer 26

describes a characteristic on a phylogenetic tree that only a certain clade of organisms share

Question 27

sister taxa

Answer 27

two lineages that diverged from the same branch point

Question 28

systematic

Answer 28

field of organizing and classifying organisms based on evolutionary relationships

Question 29

taxon

Answer 29

single level in the taxonomic classification system

Question 30

taxonomy

Answer 30

science of classifying organisms