Biology 1001A Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Autapomorphy, Cladistics, Symplesiomorphy
23 Nov 2016
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On multiple choice exams, you should be able to identify . relatively close and relatively distant relatives, given a phylogenetic tree. Common ancestors are at the branching points on tree. Base of tree is common ancestor of all stuff in the phylogeny. Earliest (ancient ancestors) are closer to the base of phylogeny whether or not two phylogenetic trees convey the same information. Despite differing shape or direction of time phylogenies with the same information are the same (all are synonymous) monophyletic and non-monophyletic groupings, given a phylogenetic tree. Names that we name groups should reflect evoulotionary relationships. If group names reflect evolutionary relationships, then all group members are closer related to each other than to anything outside the group. Cladistics emphasizes such monophyletic groups (clades) must include all the descendants of the group"s mrca meaning of synapomorphy, symplesiomorphy, autapomorphy; and know which of these is considered informative in cladistic analysis.
