A feature (e.g organ or structure) that has a similar structure and function in unrelated species and has evolved independently due to similar environmental selection pressures
New cards
2
Branch
A line on a phylogenetic tree that represents the evolutionary path from a common ancestor
New cards
3
Clade
A group of organisms that includes an ancestor and all descendants of that ancestor
New cards
4
Cladogram
A branching diagram representing the evolutionary relationships between taxa. The branches of a cladogram are scaled (the length of the branches do not represent evolutionary distance)
New cards
5
Common ancestor
An organism from which two or more species diverged. Also known as a shared ancestor
New cards
6
Convergent evolution
The evolution of similar features in unrelated groups of organisms
New cards
7
Divergent evolution
The evolution of two or more different species from a common ancestral species
New cards
8
Homologous features
Features that have a common evolutionary origin, which is evident in the underlying fundamental similarities in their structure. Homologous features are found in different organisms and may have evolved different functions (e.g a human hand and a bat wing) as a result of divergent evolution from a common ancestor. DNA sequences or proteins can also be homologous
New cards
9
Leaf
The branch tip on a phylogenetic tree where the scientific name of the taxon is
New cards
10
Lineage
All the species that are descendents of a common ancestor
New cards
11
Molecular homology
A DNA or protein molecule (or their precise sequence) shared by two species or other taxa because of common ancestry
New cards
12
Monophyletic group
A taxonomic group containing a common ancestor and all its descendants
New cards
13
Mutation rate
The rate at which genetic mutations occur over time
New cards
14
Node
The point at which two branches in a phylogenetic tree diverge (also known as branch point). The node represents the last common ancestor that the two diverging taxa shared
New cards
15
Outgroup
A taxonomic group that is closely related to the other groups (ingroups) but less closely related than any single one of the ingroups that is older than the common ancestor of the ingroups. It is included in phylogenetic trees for common comparison to the group of interest
New cards
16
Phylogenetic tree
A diagram that represents the evolutionary relationships between different species, but does not show evolutionary distance. It may be rooted or unrooted
New cards
17
Phylogeny
The evolutionary relationships of organisms, usually represented by a branching tree diagram (phylogenetic tree)
New cards
18
Phylogram
A branching diagram representing the evolutionary relationships between taxa. The ranches of a phylogram are scaled (i.e the length of the branches represent evolutionary distances)
New cards
19
Point mutation
A type of gene mutation that typically only affects a single nucleotide. Types include substitution and frameshift
New cards
20
Root
The part of a phylogenetic tree that represents the common ancestor of all the taxa in the tree
New cards
21
Sister taxa
A pair of taxa group together in a phylogenetic tree (the closest relative of any given taxon)
New cards
22
Structural morphology
The study of form and structure of organisms
New cards
23
Taxon (plural taxa)
A biological group classified on the basis of their shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships
New cards
24
Taxonomy
The science of the classification of organisms into hierarchical groupings based on their shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships
New cards
25
Vestigial structure
A remnant structure that has lost almost of its original function in an organism in the course of evolution
Studied by 0 people
