Lecture 3 - Evolution and Phylogeny

Question 1

evolution

Answer 1

origin and change of organisms over time

occurs by natural selection

Question 2

phylogeny

Answer 2

a family tree of a group of evolving organisms

Question 3

clade

Answer 3

each branch/bundle of branches

a group of organisms with a common ancestor/lineal descendants

Question 4

cladogram

Answer 4

cladistic phylogeny

doesn’t incorporate time ranges of different groups

based on similarities between organisms and their evolutionary novelties

Question 5

monophyletic vs polyphyletic

Answer 5

2+ clades with a single ancestor

groups lacking a common ancestor

Question 6

convergence

Answer 6

evolution of similar features in two unrelated clades

eg. flight in birds, pterosaurs, insects

Question 7

taxa

Answer 7

group of organisms

eg kingdom phylum class order family genus species

Question 8

what does binomen mean?

Answer 8

how to classify species, usually two names
eg Tyrannosaurus rex, Homo sapiens

written in italics