Exam 2: phylogenies Flashcards
The goal of Linnaean taxonomy and the resulting system of scientific nomenclature
(convention for naming organisms) is to
classify biological diversity
Which of the following is Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778) responsible for?
having the insight that organisms can be organized into a hierarchical system of classification without having a theoretical explanation for why these patterns should exist
The study of phylogeny rests on our observation of characters of organisms, which may
include all of the following EXCEPT
Linnaean taxonomy
Which of the following statements about pedigrees and phylogenies is true?
pedigrees tells us about the ancestry of individuals; phylogenis tells us about the ancestry of populations.
What is the difference between cladograms, phylograms, and chronograms?
what branh lenghts represents
Charles Darwin inferred the pattern of common ancestry without understanding the
basis for heredity. However, if Darwin’s theory of descent with modification is correct, the
DNA sequence similarity should reflect patterns of common ancestry inferred from other evidence.
Based on the phylogenetic tree, which of the following is most closely related to
mammals? turtles
Based on the phylogenetic tree, which of the following two groups are most closely
related
birds and crocodilians
Based on the figure, which of the following statements is true
fish are not a monophyletic group
The relationship between placentals, marsupials, and monotremes as shown in the
figure indicates
uncertainty about the relationships between these groups
a paraphyletic group contains
the group’s most recent common ancestor but not all of its descendants.
What is the difference between a rooted and unrooted tree?
Direction on a rooted tree indicates the passage of time.
Although they serve no known current functions, vestigial traits may persist in some
organisms for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that
natural selection cannot act to eliminate traits
Analogous traits are found in two or more species becaus
some evolutionary process (usually natural selection) has independently fashioned similar traits in each species.
Homologous traits are found in two or more species because
those species share a common ancestor
By mapping a given trait on a phylogenetic tree that we have already constructed using
other data, we can
generate hypotheses about when and how this trait evolved.
On a phylogram, what do branch lengths represent
the amount of evolutionary change
The phylogeny in the figure shows the relationships of raptors (falcons, owls, hawks,
eagles, and osprey) in relation to other birds. Based on this phylogeny, raptors are
Which of the following statements is true based on the phylogeny shown in the figure?
primates are members of the Eutheria and mammalia clades
The figure shows a hypothesis for the evolution of visual opsins in tetrapods. At the tips,
each triangle represents a particular visual pigment found in a modern tetrapod. Along
ancestral branches, the hypothesized evolutionary history of these opsins is shown. Which
of the following is true of this evolutionary hypothesis?
Squamate reptiles and birds have maintained the ancestral opsins.
What is a polytomy?
a rearrangement of organisms of an evolutionary tree to meet at a common point - it shows uncertainty about how lineages relate to each other.
Should analogous traits be used to construct phylogenies?
Analogous structures should NOT be used in establishing phylogenies . Analogous structures evolve as a result of similar selection pressures. These two animals are both burrowing mammals, yet are not closely related.
which of the following represents a common ancestor and all of its descendants?
a clade
