Evolutionary Trees Flashcards
define phylogeny
the evolutionary history of a species or group of species
define phylogenetic tree
a branching diagram representing a hypothesis about the evolutionary history of a group of organisms
define transitions (evolutionary modifications)
- hatch marks on the tree
- indicates the evolution of a trait at a particular point in an evolutionary lineage
what is the principle of parsimony
- used to determine which branching pattern is most likely
- parsimony = fewest steps or changes
define sister species
- species that share a more recent last common ancestor with each other than either shares with any other species
- they are each other’s closest living relatives
nuances on reading a tree - does adding a relationship change how the other’s are read?
no
nuances on reading a tree - how do you read time?
through branch length
nuances on reading a tree - how do you know if one species is more closely related to another?
- look at time
- not at branching points
define monophyletic clade
consists of an ancestral species and ALL of its descendants
define paraphyletic grouping
consists of an ancestral species and some NOT ALL of its descendants
define polyphyletic grouping
common ancestor of members is NOT part of the group
define polytomy
unresolved grouping where we do not know the correct relationships, so we cannot get the tree down to sister taxa
where would you see a sister taxon’s unique evolutionary history on a tree?
the branch after the node to the particular species
where would you see a sister taxon’s shared evolutionary history on a tree?
the branch before the node
where is a speciation event of a taxa located
the node connecting the taxa