USC Bisc 120 Midterm #2 questions with
correct answers
Phylogenetics - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The science behind
figuring out relationships between organisms
Phylogeny - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The evolutionary history of
a species or group of related species
Systematics - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The science of classifying
organisms based on their characteristics
Taxonomy - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔naming species
Cladistics - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The classification of
organisms based on their order of branching on an evolutionary
tree
Binomial Nomenclature / Hierarchical Classification System -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Linnaeus: Kingdom, Phylum, Class,
,Order, Family, Genus, and Species
Monophyletic Group - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔includes ancestor
and all descendants
Paraphyletic Group - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔not all
descendants are included
Polyphyletic Group - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔not all ancestors
are included and descendants from other ancestors are included
Convergent Evolution - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Process by
which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when
adapting to similar environments
Homoplasies - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Analogous structures
that have evolved independently.
Molecular Homoplasy - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔determines if
DNA sequence share a fraction of their base because of
homologous or homoplastic
, Homologies - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔developmental,
phenotypic, and genetic similarities due to shared ancestry
Ancestral Characters - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔primitive traits
inherited from ancestors (homologous character)
Shared Derived Character - CORRECT ANSWERS
✔✔distinguishes from related ancestral species
Parsimony (Occam's Razor) - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔a scientific
preference to explain data with the simplest possible explanation
(phylogenetic tree with the fewest steps assumed to be right)
Maximum Parsimony - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔the best tree
requires the fewest changes
Maximum Likelihood - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔method for
finding best cladogram (ideally checks all possible trees)
Bayesian Inference - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔method for finding
correct answers
Phylogenetics - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The science behind
figuring out relationships between organisms
Phylogeny - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The evolutionary history of
a species or group of related species
Systematics - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The science of classifying
organisms based on their characteristics
Taxonomy - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔naming species
Cladistics - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔The classification of
organisms based on their order of branching on an evolutionary
tree
Binomial Nomenclature / Hierarchical Classification System -
CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Linnaeus: Kingdom, Phylum, Class,
,Order, Family, Genus, and Species
Monophyletic Group - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔includes ancestor
and all descendants
Paraphyletic Group - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔not all
descendants are included
Polyphyletic Group - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔not all ancestors
are included and descendants from other ancestors are included
Convergent Evolution - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Process by
which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when
adapting to similar environments
Homoplasies - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔Analogous structures
that have evolved independently.
Molecular Homoplasy - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔determines if
DNA sequence share a fraction of their base because of
homologous or homoplastic
, Homologies - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔developmental,
phenotypic, and genetic similarities due to shared ancestry
Ancestral Characters - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔primitive traits
inherited from ancestors (homologous character)
Shared Derived Character - CORRECT ANSWERS
✔✔distinguishes from related ancestral species
Parsimony (Occam's Razor) - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔a scientific
preference to explain data with the simplest possible explanation
(phylogenetic tree with the fewest steps assumed to be right)
Maximum Parsimony - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔the best tree
requires the fewest changes
Maximum Likelihood - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔method for
finding best cladogram (ideally checks all possible trees)
Bayesian Inference - CORRECT ANSWERS ✔✔method for finding
