BISC208 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Genetic Drift, Synapomorphy, Monophyly

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Biological Sciences
• Course: BISC208
• Professor: Safran Catherine

Document Summary

Phylogeny- the evolutionary history of a group of organisms. Phylogenetic tree- graphical summary of this history, shows evolutionary relationships among genes, populations, or species. Tree of life- shows evolutionary relationships between all species. Table is rooted - means that the branches on the left are more ancient (ancestral) while the ones on the right are more recent (derived) Root- most ancestral branch in the tree. Node- point in which the branch splits into two or more branches, represents the most recent common ancestor of the descendant groups. Represents a speciation event where two populations within the ancestral species become genetically isolated and diverged due to natural selection, genetic drift, or mutation. Tip (terminal node)- endpoint of a branch, represents a living or extinct group of genes, species, families, phyla, or other taxa. Taxa themselves are located on the branch tips, never within the tree. None of the taxa are assumed to be ancestors of the others.