PolyphylyA polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of convergent evolution. It is contrasted with monophyly and paraphyly.
Convergent evolutionConvergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last common ancestor of those groups. The cladistic term for the same phenomenon is homoplasy. The recurrent evolution of flight is a classic example, as flying insects, birds, pterosaurs, and bats have independently evolved the useful capacity of flight.
Family (taxonomy)Family (Latin: familia, pl.: familiae) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus.
Ediacaran biotaThe Ediacaran biota ( ; formerly Vendian) is a group of large, biologically complex, mostly soft-bodied organisms, which lived during the Ediacaran Period (c. 635–538.8 Mya). These were unusual tube and frond-shaped, mostly sessile, organisms. Three distinct assemblages of these organisms have been discovered, preserved as trace fossils in Ediacaran sandstone. They represent the earliest known complex multicellular organisms.
Cambrian explosionThe Cambrian explosion (also known as the Cambrian radiation or Cambrian diversification) is an interval of time beginning approximately 538.8 million years ago in the Cambrian period of the early Paleozoic, during which a sudden radiation of complex life occurred. The fossil record of this period contains the first appearances of practically every animalphyla, implying that nearly all animal life has its origin during this radiation.
PaleobotanyPaleobotany or palaeobotany, also known as paleophytology, is the branch of botany and paleontology dealing with the recovery and identification of plantfossils from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (paleogeography), and the evolutionary history of plants, with a bearing upon the evolution of life in general. It is a component of palaeontology and paleobiology.
Generalist and specialist speciesA generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different resources (for example, a heterotroph with a varied diet). A specialist species can thrive only in a narrow range of environmental conditions or has a limited diet. Most organisms do not all fit neatly into either group, however.
Morphology (biology)In biology, morphology is the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features. This includes aspects of the outward appearance (shape, structure, color, pattern, size), as well as the form and structure of internal parts like bones and organs, i.e., anatomy. This is in contrast to physiology, which deals primarily with function.
ParataxonomyParataxonomy is a system of labor division for use in biodiversity research, in which the rough sorting tasks of specimen collection, field identification, documentation and preservation are conducted by primarily local, less specialized individuals, thereby alleviating the workload for the "alpha" or "master" taxonomist.
Egg fossilEgg fossils or oofossils are the fossilized remains of eggs laid by ancient animals. As evidence of the physiological processes of an animal, egg fossils are considered a type of trace fossil. Under rare circumstances a fossil egg may preserve the remains of the once-developing embryo inside, in which case it also contains body fossils. A wide variety of different animal groups laid eggs that are now preserved in the fossil record beginning in the Paleozoic.
BirdWarm-blooded animals with wings and feathersBirds are a group of warm-bloodedvertebrateanimals constituting the classAves, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. They live worldwide and range in size from the 5.5 cm (2.2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) common ostrich.
LabyrinthodontiaParaphyletic group of tetrapodomorphs"Labyrinthodontia" (from Ancient Greek λαβύρινθος (labúrinthos, meaning "maze", and ὀδούς (odoús), meaning "tooth") is an informal group of extinct predatory amphibians which were major components of ecosystems in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras (about 390 to 150 million years ago).
PaleontologyPaleontology or palaeontology is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geologic time, and assess the interactions between prehistoric organisms and their natural environment.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.