Systematics and Ecology Concepts Overview

monophyletic group

A group that includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants, forming a complete evolutionary branch. Also called a clade.

paraphyletic group

A group that includes an ancestral species and some, but not all, of its descendants.

monophyletic group

A group that includes an ancestral species and all of its descendants, forming a complete evolutionary branch. Also called a clade.

paraphyletic group

A group that includes an ancestral species and some, but not all, of its descendants.

polyphyletic group

A group whose members are derived from two or more different ancestral species, making it an artificial grouping not reflecting evolutionary relationships.

synapomorphy

A shared derived character that appears in an ancestral species and is passed on to its descendants; used to identify monophyletic groups.

plesiomorphy

An ancestral character state that was present in ancestors but doesn't indicate a unique evolutionary relationship among the taxa being studied.

autapomorphy

A derived character unique to a particular species or lineage, not shared with other groups.

difference between systematics and taxonomy

Systematics is the study of biological diversity and evolutionary relationships among organisms. Taxonomy is the theory and practice of classifying organisms.

binomial system of nomenclature

A naming system developed by Linnaeus where each species receives a two-part name: genus name (capitalized) followed by specific epithet (lowercase), both italicized.

biome

A major type of ecological community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained by climate conditions of a region.

community in ecology

An assemblage of populations of different species living in the same geographic area and interacting with one another.

biogeographic realm

A large spatial region containing multiple ecosystems with distinctive plant and animal groups that evolved in relative isolation due to geographic barriers.

ecotone

A transition area between two biomes or different ecological communities, containing organisms from both communities and often having greater biodiversity.