L2: Phylogenetics Flashcards
The study of ancestor-descendant relationships
Phylogenetics
A hypothesis of ancestor-descendant relationships
Phylogeny
A graphical summary of a phylogeny
Phylogenetic Tree
Any attribute of an organism that can provide insights into its history
Character
Cladistic Character State
Refers to the ancestral character state
Plesiomorphy
Cladistic Character State
A character state different than the ancestral state; also known as derived state
Apomorphy
Cladistic Character State
A derived character state that is shared by two or more taxa due to inheritance from a common ancestor
Synapomorphy
Cladistic Character State
A uniquely derived character state
Autapomorphy
A group that includes all the descendants of a common ancestor
Monophyletic
Monophyletic groups are also known as […]
clades
A group that includes some, but not all of the descendants of a common ancestor
Paraphyletic
Assemblages of taxa that have been erroneously grouped on the basis of homoplasious characters
Polyphyletic
A character state shared between two taxa inherited from a common ancestor
Homology
A character state shared between two taxa evolved independently
Homoplasy or Analogy
Homoplasy
Independent evolution of the same feature from the same ancestral condition
Parallel Evolution
Homoplasy
Independent evolution of the same feature from different ancestral condition
Convergent Evolution
Homoplasy
Reversion to ancestral condition
Secondary Loss
A principle that prefers simple explanations over more complicated ones
Principle of Parsimony
The tree with the least number of steps is the […] parsimonious
most
Not part of the group of interest, but also not too distantly related to it
Outgroup
A group of hoofed mammals that possess an even number of toes
Artiodactyla
A group of hoofed mammals that possess an odd number of toes
Perissodactyla
The use of parsimony to construct evolutionary relationships
Cladistics
The 3 domains of life
- Archaea
- Bacteria
- Eukarya
Branch of science that seeks explanations for why organisms are found in some regions but not others
Biogeography
The process where evolutionary changes in the traits of one species drives evolutionary changes in the traits of another species
Coevolution
We must use characters that are […] and avoid […] in phylogeny construction
- homologous
- homoplasies
[…] seeks the simplest explanation that requires the least amount of change (fewest steps)
Parsimony
