Evolution
The history and science of origin and evolution comprise two events, the beginning of life and expansion of life. Our earth originated about 4.5 billion years ago. The term evolution is derived from two Latin words and means the act of unfolding or unrolling. English philosopher Herbert Spencer first used it. Evolution is defined as the change in heritable traits of biological populations over successive generations. These traits are the manifestations of genes that are passed down from parent to offspring during reproduction.
Cladistics
Cladistics is a technique in the classification of organisms, where they are grouped into different clades. The proof for the relationships that are hypothesized is based on the shared derived characteristics known as synapomorphies. These characteristics do not exist in many of the distant ancestors and groups. The common ancestor along with its descendants is considered to be a part of the clade. The rate of closeness is directly proportional to the cladistic grouping and is useful in analyzing the evolutionary mechanism.
Outgroups
Outgroups are significant in studying cladistics or phylogenetics (that describe the evolutionary relationship between different organisms). Further, it is also important to understand the differences and similarities between different organisms.
Taxonomy
It is the branch of biology that works with the identification of organisms at first, then naming, and classification of them into phenetic or phylogenetic groups (a classification system). In other words, it is the scientific study of biological diversity and a part of systematic biology.
Phylogenetics
Phylogenetics is the scientific study of how various groups of organisms are related at the evolutionary level. It finds the relationship between various organisms based on their evolutionary similarities and differences. It is a part of the taxonomy. Although the taxonomic study is not only concerned about phylogeny but taxonomic studies are also concerned about the classification and nomenclature of the different individuals from different taxon.
![### Evolution of Anole Species
#### Question
Based on the cladogram in Figure 1, which of the following conclusions about the evolution of the anole species is most reasonable?
#### Cladogram Description
Figure 1 depicts a cladogram of some anole species. A cladogram is a diagram used to show relations among organisms. It is a type of phylogenetic tree that does not represent the amount of evolutionary change.
The cladogram in Figure 1 lists the following anole species:
1. **A. carolinensis**
2. **A. stratulus**
3. **A. evermanni**
4. **A. cristatellus**
5. **A. gundlachi**
6. **A. sagrei**
7. **A. valencienni**
8. **A. lineatopus**
The branching pattern indicates evolutionary relationships among these species. Here is a detailed breakdown of the connections:
- **A. carolinensis** and **A. stratulus** share a common ancestor, as do **A. evermanni**, **A. cristatellus**, and **A. gundlachi** within a slightly larger group.
- **A. sagrei** shares a more distant common ancestor with this entire group.
- **A. valencienni** and **A. lineatopus** share a common ancestor with each other but are more distantly related to the other groups.
This structure helps infer which species share recent common ancestors and provides a hypothesis for the sequence of branching events in the evolutionary history of these anole species.
**Figure 1: Cladogram of some anole species.**](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2Fb341ab51-21e3-40ea-80f1-409a817a2bf2%2F3f2070ea-b415-4738-92f0-7127638806d8%2Fgyryn93_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
![**Evolutionary Pathways of Species**
This question explores the different mechanisms through which species can evolve. There are four provided choices, each representing a distinct evolutionary pathway. The selected choice is marked with a blue checkmark.
1. **Convergent Evolution in Different Locations:**
- Each species evolved in a different location, and all underwent convergent evolution.
2. **Genetic Bottleneck Impact:**
- Each species evolved as a result of a genetic bottleneck.
3. **Random Mutations from a Common Ancestor: (Selected Choice)**
- Each species evolved by inheriting random mutations from the common ancestor.
4. **Different Selective Pressures:**
- Each species evolved as a result of different selective pressures.
**Explanation of Selected Choice:**
- The correct answer, indicated by the blue checkmark, is "Each species evolved by inheriting random mutations from the common ancestor." This implies that the species shared a common ancestor and diverged over time due to random genetic mutations. This is a foundational concept in evolutionary biology, illustrating how genetic variation contributes to the diversity of life forms observed today.](/v2/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.bartleby.com%2Fqna-images%2Fquestion%2Fb341ab51-21e3-40ea-80f1-409a817a2bf2%2F3f2070ea-b415-4738-92f0-7127638806d8%2Fcqej1eb_processed.png&w=3840&q=75)
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