lab midterm Flashcards
how do we represent which organisms are alive in a phylogenic tree
dead end branched that don’t make it to the present are extinction events. further back means that species no longer exists
why are all phylogenetic trees considered a hypothesis
because we can’t go back in time to verify the exact branching pattern
what are all organisms traced back to
an organism that lived 3.7 billion years ago. this group of prokaryotes, which forms the basal tree of life is collectively referred to as LUCA (last universal common ancestor
describe the LUCA hypothesis
Some fundamental cellular components such as DNA, ribosomes, and
plasma membranes, which are still universally shared by all life forms, were present in the
LUCA. These components are so molecularly complex that it is unlikely that they would be
so similar if they evolved independently. An example of this are ribosomes, which are
comprised of 50+ proteins and RNA molecules thousands of nucleotides long.
define taxonomy
the scientific discipline concerned with naming and classifying groups of biological organisms.
organisms. Taxonomists group organisms based on
similarities in morphology and/or molecules into taxonomic categories starting with the most
inclusive category,
(domain, kingdom, phylum, …)
what is the complete taxonomy of a human?
domain: eukarya
kingdom: animalia
phylum: chordata
class: mammalia
order: primates
family: hominidae
genus: homo
species: sapiens
what is a monophyletic clade
all members of a monophyletic clade are closer relatives to each other than they
are to all organisms outside the clade. A monophyletic clade could contain a group of closely
related genera, which taxonomists would refer to as a family, or a group of distantly related
phyla, which taxonomists would refer to as a kingdom—monophyletic clades can happen at
any taxonomic rank within the tree of life.
definition of a monophyletic clade
a group that converges on a
common ancestor prior to joining other clades.
paraphyletic bs polyphyletic groups
Paraphyletic groups exclude some descendants of the last common ancestor of the group.
Polyphyletic groups exclude some descendants as well as the common ancestor of the
group (Figure 1.
define character, give an example
an anatomical, physiological or molecular feature found in an organism
characters. For instance, all members of the mammal clade have vertebral
columns and hair. Hair is unique to mammals, but the presence of a vertebral column is also
found in other clades
for mammals, are the milk-producing mammary glands ancestral or derived? explain
derived because it’s unique to mammals
describe ancestral character
fish). Vertebral columns are found in
these other clades as well as mammals because this character evolved in an early
vertebrate ancestor, long before the emergence of these later clades. For mammals, the
vertebral column is therefore an ancestral character
all mammals have a backbone, but it
is ancestral to the formation of the mammal clade itself.
describe derived character
contrast, hair evolved in an early
mammal ancestor; therefore, all mammals, and only mammals, have hair. For mammals,
hair is therefore a derived character - all mammals have hair because it was derived in an
early ancestor within the mammal clade.
for mammals, are hinged jaws ancestral or derived? explain
ancestral because it is older than the mammal
what are shared derive characters
characters shared by only some lineages within a clade. can be used to identify less inclusive clades.
clades. For example, mammals and
reptiles (including birds) share a similar reproductive structure called the amniotic egg, and
the amniotic egg is one of the shared derived characters that helps set apart the
monophyletic clade Amniota (mammals and reptiles) within the more inclusive clade
define homologous characters
Shared characteristics that can be traced back to a common ancestor (i.e. shared due to
descent) are referred to as homologous characters.
describe convergent evolution
d convergent evolution—the characters converged on a similar morphology, often
because of similar ecological pressures
define analogous characters
Shared characters that are a result of convergent
evolution and not common ancestry are referred to as analogous characters.
are analogous characters useful for constructing phylogenies? why?
no because they can be misleading, can make lineages appear more closely related than they are
What process could cause two taxa that are not closely related to look quite similar (at least
superficially) and result in a taxonomic error?
convergent evolution. (I think)
are the wings of butterflies homologous or analogous? explain
analogous
bird wings are analogous because they are not derived from a common ancestor but evolved independently to perform the same function: flight.
are the wings of butterflies and dragonflies homologous or analogous?
homologous
what is progressivism?
It is common for students to visualize evolution as progressing through a long series of
lesser organisms only to finally reach humans, which were thought to be the pinnacle of
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evolution. This view, known as progressivism, was historically quite common but is now
seen as being thoroughly obsolete
why is progressivism incorrect?
because evolution isn’t linear