4.5.2

Phylogeny

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Phylogeny

Phylogenies are used to understand the evolutionary relationships between organisms. Phylogenies can help classify organisms.

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Shared ancestry

  • The evolutionary relationship of an organism or group of organisms is called its phylogeny.
  • Phylogenies are based on the fact that all organisms share a common ancestor.
  • More closely related organisms will share a more recent common ancestor than more distantly related organisms.
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Phylogenetic tree

  • A phylogenetic tree shows the evolutionary relationship between different species and their most recent common ancestor.
  • Each branch on a phylogenetic tree shows a different species.
  • The point that two branches join together is the common ancestor of the two species.

Jump to other topics

1Biological Molecules

2Cells

3Substance Exchange

4Genetic Information & Variation

5Energy Transfers (A2 only)

6Responding to Change (A2 only)

7Genetics & Ecosystems (A2 only)

8The Control of Gene Expression (A2 only)

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