Unit 01: Phylogeny and Cladistics Flashcards
What is systematics?
A discipline focused on studying evolutionary relationships of & classifying organisms. Used to reconstruct phylogenies.
Define phylogeny.
The evolutionary history of a species/group of species
What makes up the first part of binomial naming?
Genus
What makes up the second part of binomial naming ?
Species specific epithet.
What feature must be included in binomial naming?
A Latin ending
What are the ranks of Linnaean classification in order of largest to most specific.
Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.
What do nodes depict?
A common ancestor
What are sister species/taxa?
Species/ groups that share the same most recent common ancestor.
What is a rooted tree?
A tree that includes a branch to represent the last common ancestor of all taxa.
What is an outgroup?
A distantly related group of organisms that are used as a reference. Relative to what you are studying.
What is a polytomy?
A branch from which more than two groups arise.
What does cladistics use to group organisms?
Common descent.
What is a monophyletic clade?
A clade that contains common ancestor and all descendants
What is a polyphyletic clade?
Grouping including distantly related species but no common ancestor.
What is a paraphyletic clade?
Grouping including ancestor and some descendants, but not all descendants are included.
