Phylogenies

phylo

means origin, source, birth in greek

genesis

origin, source, birth

branch

represents a lineage or a line of descent

root

most ancestral branch in the tree

tip

endpoint of a branch, living or extinct

outgroup

a taxon that diverged before the taxa that are the focus of the study

node

branching point that represents the most recent common ancestor

dichotomy

a branching point (node) where a single lineage splits into exactly two distinct descendant lineages

polytomy

a branching point (node) where MORE than two lineages split from a single ancestor, looking like a pitchfork instead of the usual two-way split

synapomorphies

shared derived characteristic

monophyly

an ancestor and all of its descendants

paraphyly

includes ancestor and SOME of its descendants

polyphyly

a group of organisms grouped together based on superficial similarities (like "warm-blooded" or "flying") that evolved independently (convergent evolution), meaning the group lacks their most recent common ancestor and its other descendants

ex. elephants, rhinos, hippos

SINES

single interspersed nuclear elements

non-coding DNA sequences that act as "jumping genes" (retrotransposons) by copying and pasting themselves throughout the genome