What is morphological phylogenetic?

Morphological phylogenetics: inference of evolutionary trees using anatomical traits. Node: a branching point in an evolutionary tree, where an ancestral lineage diverges into two (or more) daughter lineages. Tip: a terminal taxon (smallest grouping of organisms) used in a phylogenetic analysis.

What is the explosive model?

The Explosive Model posits that the vast majority of placental cladogenesis, both interordinal and intraordinal, occurred near or after the KPg boundary (66 Ma) (Figure 1A) (Archibald and Deutschman, 2001).

When did lemurs diverge from other primates?

Lemurs, primates belonging to the suborder Strepsirrhini which branched off from other primates less than 63 million years ago, evolved on the island of Madagascar, for at least 40 million years.

What is the difference between morphology and phylogeny?

the ability of two individuals to successfully produce viable, fertile offspring (biological species concept) whether individuals look similar (morphological species concept) how closely related individuals are evolutionarily (phylogenetic species concept), and.

How are marsupials different from other mammals?

Mammals represent a class of the phylum Chordata while marsupials represent a mammalian infraclass. The main difference between mammals and marsupials is that mammals are characterized by the presence of mammary glands to feed the young whereas marsupials are characterized by the presence of a pouch to carry the young.

Why are lemurs considered primates?

Lemurs are primates, an order that includes monkeys, apes and humans. Like other primates, prosimians groom themselves and their acquaintances, but because prosimians can’t use their fingers in the same way, they use their teeth as a comb. In prosimian species, females play the dominant role.

Are lemurs marsupials?

Lemurs are not marsupials. They are actually primates, which puts them in a large taxonomic group with monkeys and apes.

Why is molecular phylogeny better than morphological?

Phylogenetic trees reconstructed from molecular sequences are often considered more reliable than those reconstructed from morphological characters, in part because convergent evolution, which confounds phylogenetic reconstruction, is believed to be rarer for molecular sequences than for morphologies.

How many species of tetraodontiforms are there?

Tetraodontiformes. Sometimes these are classified as a suborder of the order Perciformes. The Tetraodontiformes are represented by 10 extant families and at least 349 species overall; most are marine and dwell in and around tropical coral reefs, but a few species are found in freshwater streams and estuaries.

Are Tetraodontiforms protected from predation?

Many species of the Tetraodontidae, Triodontidae, and Diodontidae are further protected from predation by tetrodotoxin, a powerful neurotoxin concentrated in the animals’ internal organs. Tetraodontiforms have highly modified skeletons, with no nasal, parietal, infraorbital, or (usually) lower rib bones.

Why are they called Tetraodontidae?

This is alluded to in their name, derived from the Greek words tetra meaning “four” and odous meaning “tooth” and the Latin forma meaning “shape”. Counting these teeth-like bones is a way of distinguishing similar families, for example, the Tetraodontidae (“four-toothed”), Triodontidae (“three-toothed”), and Diodontidae (“two-toothed”).

Is there a formal evolutionary context to interpret the phylogeny of primates?

Markedly absent from these many advances however, is a formal evolutionary context to interpret these findings, as the phylogenetic hierarchy of primate species has only modest local (family and genus level) molecular resolution with little consensus on overall primate radiations.