BIO153H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Symplesiomorphy, Carnassial, Synapomorphy
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Suppose that: new evidence indicates that taxon e is the sister taxon of a group consisting of taxa d and f, redraw the tree to accommodate this new finding, species sharing characteristics are likely related. Taxa that are more similar are likely more closely related than less similar species. Homology = (phenotypic/genetic) similarity due to shared ancestry. Both carnivores, smallest group that these 2 share. Homoplasy = similar (analogous) structures that evolved independently: one more point about why general similarity does not equal relatedness, we collect information on characters. Character needs to be heritable: we can define character states. Character state: organisms are a mixed bag. Organisms have characters that their ancestor do not have: Shared derived characters: synapomorphy: a porcupine"s quill and a cactus"s spine. Homoplasy: a cat"s paw and a human hand. Homology: are feathers a derived or an ancestral character when you compare .
