Systematics

Biological Classification
taxonomy: naming organisms 2 part name: Genus species (Homo sapiens, Felis concolor) phylogeny: classification based on evolutionary history systematics: discovering those evolutionary relationships clade: family tree of groups of organisms

 hierarchical:
domain: Eukarya kingdom: Plantae phylum: Echinodermata class: Aves, Reptilia order: Lepidoptera family: Gekkonidae genus: Sceloporus species: sapiens

How do we decide?
homologous structures: similar structures show similar evolutionary history even when similar structures have different functions (wings, flippers, and legs) forelimbs of birds and mammals

 vestigial structures: maintaining structures that dont serve any purpose

hind limb bones where no hind limbs exist whale and snake pelvic structures

 watch out for convergent evolution and analogous structures!!!!! convergent evolution: anatomical similarities not derived from common ancestry (antifreeze proteins) analogous structures: structures with similar function, but dissimilar anatomy bird wings, grasshopper wings, and sting ray wings not derived from common ancestry, but similar environment

Evolutionary Biology: Reconstructing Evolutionary Trees and Classification

the BIG picture We dont have a direct measure of evolutionary history, so we must reconstruct it.

Classification based on phylogeny is powerful.

Classification Types
Trivial classification: an organizing system of convenience which does not reflect anything beyond the criterion used for Classification
CD collection: Megadeath|Motab, Pavarotti|Pink Floyd Stamp, coin collections, classifying organisms by colors, shapes sizes, etc.

Non-trivial Classification: An organizing system which reflects something in addition to the criterion on which it was organized
Periodic table of the elements
Based on proton & electron number; predictive

Is organismal classification trivial?

Species can be arranged into sets of nested hierarchies

Monophyletic Group
A group comprised of an ancestor and all of its descendants. All the members of that group can trace their ancestry to a single, most recent common ancestor (MRCA). The ancestor must be the progenitor of all the species in the group, and none outside of it.

C D E

Non-monophyletic Groups
Paraphyly/Polyphyly: A group which includes some, but not all, descendants of a common ancestor.

C D E

So What? What can you do with reconstructed evolutionary history?

It can be used to solve riddles

To solve the riddle, we need to build an evolutionary tree (a phylogeny)

Hair

Hair

scales

hair amnion

scales amnion

hair

scales 4 limbs

hair amnion

scales
4 limbs

hair

amnion

The EGG came first!!

The turkey came here

The egg came here

Plastic Organisms
groups of three decide how to group organisms based on shared traits build clade or tree based on your decisions defend your grouping decisions and speciation events (tell me why you did what you did)

GO!