Phylogenetics and Systematics

Question 1

Phylogenetics

Answer 1

Study of evolutionary relationships

Question 2

Cladistics

Answer 2

biological classification in which organisms are grouped based on shared derived characters

Question 3

Phylogeny

Answer 3

Great tools for describing relationships between organisms visually (evolutionary trees)

Question 4

Apomorphy

Answer 4

a derived or new character not found in recent ancestor

Question 5

Synapomorphy

Answer 5

a shared derived character, these are particular useful when determing phylogenetic relationships

Question 6

Plesiomorphy

Answer 6

An ancestral character

Question 7

Symplesiomorphy

Answer 7

A shared ancestral character

Question 8

Monophyletic group

Answer 8

includes all descendants of a common ancestor; a clade

Question 9

Paraphyletic group

Answer 9

does not include all very close relatives; includes only a portion of a clade

Question 10

Polyphyletic group

Answer 10

includes species which do not share a most recent common ancestor

Question 11

Parsimony

Answer 11

describes how well a phylogeny describes the character state data - simplest explanation is the best explanation

Question 12

Homologous

Answer 12

A shared character inherited from the same character in a common ancestor

Question 13

Homoplasious

Answer 13

a shared character not found in the most recent common ancestor; analogous trait (same function different structure)

Question 14

Goal

Answer 14

To identify relationships and be able to trace ancestry

Question 15

Challenge

Answer 15

not being able to understand, not being confused when identifying characteristics

Question 16

CI scale

Answer 16

0-1; closer to 1= most parsimonious

Question 17

CI equation

Answer 17

CI = Sum (N-1) / # of state changes