Foundations & Phylogeny

Are reptiles and amphibians closest relatives?

No

Why are herps grouped together?

Tradition, not strict evolutionary relationships

What is a phylogeny?

A tree showing evolutionary relationships and history

What does a node represent?

Speciation event

What does a branch represent?

A lineage (species or ancestor)

What is the root?

Oldest ancestor

If two species share a recent node, what does that mean?

They are closely related

Does rotating branches change relationships?

No

Does tip order matter?

No

What is a polytomy?

Unresolved relationship (lack of data)

What is binomial nomenclature?

Genus + species

In Hyla cinerea, what is the species?

The whole name

Monophyletic group?

Ancestor + ALL descendants

Paraphyletic group?

Missing some descendants

Polyphyletic group?

Does not include common ancestor

Why are reptiles paraphyletic?

Birds excluded

Why aren’t amphibians closest to reptiles?

They branched earlier

Are snakes lizards?

Yes (phylogenetically)