3-Determining_Evolutionary_Relationships

Homologous structures

Features that share a common ancestry and evolved from the same feature in a most recent common ancestor.

Convergent evolution

The process where organisms from different taxa develop similar structures or functions not due to shared ancestry but due to similar environmental pressures.

Phylogeny

The evolutionary history of any group of organisms, representing relationships to a common ancestor.

Monophyletic group

A group consisting of an ancestor and all of its descendants.

Ancestral character

A character that has been inherited from a relatively ancient ancestor, indicating it evolved a long time ago.

Derived character

A character that has evolved relatively recently compared to ancestral traits.

Synapomorphy

A derived character that is shared by two or more taxa, used to define monophyletic groups.

Homoplasy

Structures that are similar in appearance or function but did not arise from a common ancestor.

Electrolocation

A method used by some fish, such as the elephant nose fish, to sense food by generating a weak electric field.

Echolocation

A method used by some mammals, such as bats, to detect prey by utilizing ultrasonic sounds.

Embryonic origin

The developmental origin of a structure, used as evidence to determine whether structures are homologous.

Morphology

The branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of organisms.

Plesiomorphic

A term used to describe ancestral traits that are not unique to a particular taxon.

Apomorphic

A term used to describe derived traits that are unique to a specific taxon.

Phylogenetic tree

A diagram that represents the evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on similarities and differences in their physical or genetic characteristics.

Morphological comparative anatomy

A method for determining evolutionary relationships by studying the anatomical structures of different organisms.

Analagous structures

Structures that have similar functions but do not share a common ancestry.