Evolution Unit Biology 20

Polytomy

A branch from which more than two groups emerge.

Clade

A group of species that includes an ancestral species and all it's descendants. It begins with the earliest known species.

Monophyletic

A taxon is equal to a clade if it is monophyletic signifying that it consists of the ancestral species and all the descendants.

Taxon

A taxonomic unit at any level of hierarchy.

What order would the domains have come?

Archea, Bacteria, Eukarya

Sister Taxa

Are groups that share an immediate common ancestor.

The Three Domains

Bacteria, Archea, And Eukarya

Shared Ancestral Character

Character that originated in an ancestor of a taxon. Ex)backbone in mammals from invertebrates

Systematics

Classifies organisms and determines their evolutionary relationships. They do this by using fossil, molecular, and genetic data to infer the relationships.

Paraphyletic

Consists of an ancestral species and some, but not all the descendants. This is so you can focus on studying a specific group.

Polyphyletic

Consists of various species that lack a common ancestor.

Shared Derived Character

Evolutionary novelty unique to a particular clade. Ex)hair in mammals.

Heterotroph

Feed on something to obtain nutrients.

Cladistics

Group organisms based upon shared derived characteristics or evolutionary novelties.

Rooted Tree

Includes a branch to represent the last common ancestor of all taxa in the tree.

Taxonomic Groups

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

The Five Kingdoms

Monera(prokaryotes), Protista, Plantae, Fungi, and Animalia.

Carolus Linneus

Published a system of taxonomy based on resemblances in the 18th century. Introduced a system for grouping species in increasingly broad catergories.

Halophiles

Salt loving

Autotroph

Self feed. Photosynthesis

Homology

Similarity between two species due to shared ancestry. Divergent evolution

Analogy

Similarity between two species due to similar environments and conditions during natural selection. Convergent evolution

Phylogenetic Tree

Systematists use this to depict evolutionary history. These depict divergent evolution. They do not show patterns of descent or indicate when a species evolved or how much genetic change occurred.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history of a species or group of related species.

Genus

The first part of the name. The first letter is capitalized

Microevolution

The occurrence of small scale changes in a population over generations. Also known as change at or below the species level.

Taxonomy

The ordered division and naming of organisms

Evolution

The process by which different kinds of living organisms develop and diversify from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

Specific Epithet

The second part, which is unique for each species within the genus. The first letter isn't capitalized.

Binomial

The two part scientific name of a species.

Molecular Systematics

Use DNA and other molecular data to determine evolutionary relationships.