Lecture 7: Phylogenetic Trees: The Diversity of Life Flashcards

(8 cards)

1
Q

what are the taxonomic groups of the hierarchical classification of life?

A

from broad to narrow:

domain, kingdom, phyium, class, order, family, genus, species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what are the principles behind the hierarchical classification of life?

A

two-part scientific name of a species is a ‘binomial’

the first part of the name is the ‘genus’

the second part is the ‘epithet’ and is unique

first letter of genus capitalised

entire species name italicised or underlines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is the difference between homology and analogy?

A

homology is similarity caused by shared ancestry, like between a wolf and dog

analogy is similarity causes by convergent evolution, similar conditions/ adaptions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is a monophyletic group?

A

group of organisms that includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

how is DNA used to build phylogenetic trees?

A

lengths of branches can show the number of genetic changes taken place in a particular DNA sequence

systematists look for genetic differences in segments of DNA as a greater number of differences usually implies greater evolutionary distance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what are 2 different types of horizontal gene transfer and why do they make building phylogenetic trees difficult?

A

transformation- DNA taken up from environment

transduction- DNA transferred into microbe through an agent such as a virus

complicates as introduces incongruence between gene trees, making it difficult to reconstruct a single tree

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

how can phylogenetic trees be used to test hypothesis and give an example

A

phylogenetic bracketing allows us to predict features of an ancestor from features of its descendants

used to infer features of dinosaurs from their descendants of birds and crocodiles

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what are the hypothetical implications of these ideas for the search of life elsewhere?

A

shape how we search for and recognise life elsewhere in the universe

we see life can evolve from a single origin into vast complexity, so to keep this idea in mind when searching elsewhere

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly