Evolution common ancestor

Alvin Faulhafer Oleva Rose RobertMarjorie Ernest PatriciaWayne Linda Miller BradleyTimothy Diana Hyde

The concept of a common ancestor has led scientist to far more specific classification method… “the study of the evolutionary relatedness between, and among, species.” Phylogenetic Tree: a diagram depicting the evolutionary relationships between different species or groups Past Present

-common ancestor

Using morphology, as a means of classifying, allows groups to be easily visible. How are we able to visualize groups when using phylogeny? “a taxonomic group that includes a single common ancestor and all its descendents.” Clades can be of varying sizes, but the further back in time you dig, the larger the clade becomes.

-common ancestor Read, “Tutorial 1: Using Phylogenetic Trees” (pg 22) to further your knowledge on clades

So what are the benefits of this style of classification? Because it uses DNA and not visual similarities, phylogeny uncovers evolutionary relatedness not limited to set number of taxonomic ranks (Kingdom, genus, species) different sized clades More specific and correct But… convenience? time  millions of years use of DNA and fossils