BIOL 101 Unit 1

analogy also homoplasy

similarity due to convergent evolution not shared ancestry

basal taxon

early diverging lineage near the root of a phylogenetic tree

binomial nomenclature

two part scientific naming system using genus and species

branch point

node where one lineage splits into two or more

cladistics

method using shared derived traits to infer phylogeny

class

taxonomic rank below phylum and above order

eukaryote first hypothesis

eukaryotes evolved before prokaryotes

family

taxonomic rank below order and above genus

gene transfer agent GTA

virus like particle transferring random bacterial DNA

genome fusion

merging of two prokaryotic genomes via endosymbiosis

genus

taxonomic rank below family and first part of species name

homology

similarity due to shared ancestry

horizontal gene transfer HGT

gene transfer between unrelated organisms

kingdom

taxonomic rank below domain

maximum parsimony

preference for simplest evolutionary explanation

mitochondria first hypothesis

mitochondria acquired before nucleus

molecular systematics

use of molecular data to infer relationships

monophyletic group also clade

group consisting of an ancestor and all descendants

nucleus first hypothesis

nucleus acquired before mitochondria

order

taxonomic rank below class and above family

phylogenetic tree

diagram showing evolutionary relationships

phylogeny

evolutionary history of a group

phylum

taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class

polytomy

node with more than two descendant lineages

ring of life

model where three domains arose from gene sharing

rooted

tree with a single common ancestor

shared ancestral character

trait shared by all taxa in a tree

shared derived character

trait unique to a specific clade

sister taxa

two lineages sharing a recent common ancestor

systematics

study of evolutionary relationships and classification

taxon

single classification unit

taxonomy

science of classifying organisms

web of life

model emphasizing horizontal gene transfer