BIOL 1202 : Test 2
Document Summary
Phylogeny: the evolutionary history of a species or group of related species. Systematics: an analytical approach to understanding the diversity and relationships of organisms. Taxonomy: the ordered division of organisms into categories based on a set of characteristics used to assess similarities and differences. Linking classification & phylogeny: systematics depict evolutionary relationship[s in branching phylogenetic trees, each branch point (node) represents the divergence of two species, deeper branch points represent greater amounts of divergence, lines represent lineages. Concept 26. 2: phylogenies are inferred from morphological and molecular data. Phylogenetic history can be inferred from similarities in homologous structures and genes when compared among organisms. Generally: similar morphology and similar dna sequences = closest related species. But, beware of analogous structures or molecular sequences (aka homoplasies: similarity may be due to convergent evolution (analogy), not shared ancestry (homology ) Concept 26. 3: shared characters are used to construct phylogenetic trees.
