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.