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Understanding Phylogenies

Phylogenies represent evolutionary relationships and shared ancestry between lineages. They trace how single ancestral lineages split over time into multiple daughter lineages. Each lineage shares some ancestors with other lineages, and has other ancestors that are unique to it. Clades represent groupings that include a common ancestor and all its descendants, and clades are nested within one another in a hierarchical structure. Important terms include primitive versus derived characters, homology versus homoplasy, and the use of outgroups.

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Kylie Goodyear
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71 views12 pages

Understanding Phylogenies

Phylogenies represent evolutionary relationships and shared ancestry between lineages. They trace how single ancestral lineages split over time into multiple daughter lineages. Each lineage shares some ancestors with other lineages, and has other ancestors that are unique to it. Clades represent groupings that include a common ancestor and all its descendants, and clades are nested within one another in a hierarchical structure. Important terms include primitive versus derived characters, homology versus homoplasy, and the use of outgroups.

Uploaded by

Kylie Goodyear
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Understanding Phylogenies

Mammalogy

K.L. Goodyear
The Basics

LUH!

When a lineage splits (speciation), it is


represented as branching on a phylogeny. When a
speciation event occurs, a single ancestral lineage
gives rise to two or more daughter lineages.
The Basics
Phylogenies trace patterns of shared
ancestry between lineages. Each lineage
has a part of its history that is unique to it
alone and parts that are shared with
other lineages.

Similarly, each lineage has ancestors


that are unique to that lineage and
ancestors that are shared with other
lineages—common ancestors.
Clades
A clade is a grouping that includes a common ancestor and all the
descendants (living and extinct) of that ancestor.
LUH!
Imagine clipping a
single branch off the
phylogeny—all of
the organisms on
that pruned branch
make up a clade.
Clades

Clades are nested within one another—they form a nested hierarchy.

Just “snip the branches” to find them!


Types of Groups
Monophyletic groups represent all the descendants of a
common ancestor.

OK! So we can just snip!

Dolphins and Chimps

Mammals

Vertebrates
Types of Groups
Paraphyletic group: doesn’t include all the descendants of that
ancestor.
Grouping Species
Things to be aware of:
• Reversal: A structure that previously evolved is subsequently
lost.
• Convergence: Different structures in two different organisms
evolve to appear similar by occur in different linages.
This is a Homoplasy

Do not confuse with the term Homology


Bird and bat wings are homologous as forelimbs NOT as wings!
They are both forelimbs but they are NOT the same thing.
Grouping Species
Homology Homoplasy (Ecological)
Useful Definitions
• Primitive Character = Plesiomorphy A character which is in the state
shared by the common ancestor of the group. Near
• Derived Character = Apomorphy A character in a new state, not the
primitive one. Away from
• Shared Character: A character shared by all the members of the group.
• Shared Derived Character = Synapomorphy A character which is in a new
state and shared by all the member of the group. Same Away from

Out Group: a reference group for


determination of the evolutionary
relationship among three or more
monophyletic groups of organisms.

A fancy way of saying reference


point!
Sample Problem
Sample Problem

If Martes is
monophyletic than
we should be able
to snip off all the
“M”s on the same
bud without
getting the
outgroups as they
are on a different
“branch”. LUH!

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