Phylogeny And Cladistics

Question 1

Phylogeny

Answer 1

The evolutionary development and history of a species of group. Phylogeny can be illustrated in the form of a phylogenetic tree (cladogram), each branch represents the theoretical sequence of events.

Question 2

The reconstruction of the phylogenetic relationships of evolutionary histories is based on

Answer 2

Fossil record, comparative anatomy, biochemistry, genetics

Question 3

Scientists construct phylogenetic trees to group organisms based on an analysis of shared derived traits (synapomorphies)

Answer 3

Synapomorphies shared traits that evolved only once and have been inherited by two or more species (homologous feature). Species that share recently derived traits are more closely related than those that do not

Question 4

Cladistics

Answer 4

. All organisms of a particular clade must share homologous structures that don’t occur outside the clade

Question 5

Ingroup and outgroup

Answer 5

Ingroup-members of a clade having one or more synapomorphies

Outgroup- the first group to have diverge from the other member of a clade