Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics

Speciation is the process by which new species are formed from existing species.

Phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relationships among different species.

DNA sequences are commonly used in phylogenetic analysis because they provide a large amount of information about evolutionary relationships.

Cladistics is a method used to construct phylogenetic trees based on shared derived characters.

The root of a phylogenetic tree represents the most recent common ancestor of a group of species.

A cladogram is a type of phylogenetic tree that shows the branching order of species but not the amount of evolutionary change.

A clade is a group of species that share a common ancestor.

A phylogram is a type of phylogenetic tree that shows the amount of evolutionary change between species.

A monophyletic group is a group of species that share a common ancestor, including all of its descendants.

A dendrogram is a type of phylogenetic tree that shows the branching order of species and the amount of evolutionary change.

A paraphyletic group is a group of species that share a common ancestor, but not all of its descendants.

A tree diagram is a type of phylogenetic tree that shows the branching order of species, but not the amount of evolutionary change.

A polyphyletic group is a group of species that do not share a common ancestor.

Hybridization is the process by which the genetic material of two species is combined.

A strict clock assumes that the rate of molecular evolution is constant.