Question

What is the relationship between phylogeny and taxonomy?

a. Monophyletic groups should be defined by taxonomy
b. Monophyletic groups should be used to define taxonomic groups
c. Phylogeny should only aid taxonomy when features like saber teeth are not available
d. Taxonomic groups should still be valid even if members of the groups do not have a common ancestor
e. Taxonomic groups should be valid without including all of an ancestor's descendants

Answer 1

The relationship between phylogeny and taxonomy is that monophyletic groups, which include an ancestor and all its descendants, should be used to define taxonomic groups. Taxonomy classifies organisms while phylogeny reflects their evolutionary history. Taxonomic groups are ideally informed by phylogenetic relationships to ensure accuracy.

So the correct answer is Option C

Step-by-step explanation:

The relationship between phylogeny and taxonomy is fundamentally about understanding the evolutionary history of organisms and classifying them accordingly. Taxonomy involves organizing living organisms into hierarchical categories such as domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Phylogeny, on the other hand, is the evolutionary history and relationships among species or groups of species. An important goal in biology is for taxonomic groups to reflect phylogenetic relationships, which implies that groups within a taxonomy should ideally be monophyletic, containing an ancestor and all of its descendants. This aligns with the concept of cladistics, which classifies organisms based on common ancestry, using shared derived characteristics to infer these relationships.

Therefore, the correct relationship between phylogeny and taxonomy is that monophyletic groups should be used to define taxonomic groups (option b). The reasoning behind this is that evolutionary trees, or phylogenetic trees, which are hypotheses constructed using morphological and/or molecular data, should inform taxonomy so that it reflects true evolutionary relationships, rather than just superficial similarities.

Monophyletic groups consist of an ancestral species and all its descendants, making them coherent units that can serve as a basis for classifying organisms within a common evolutionary framework. This approach is strengthened by molecular systematics, which uses molecular data to reinforce or revise our understanding of evolutionary relationships and amend taxonomic classifications as needed. Changes in taxonomy occur as new phylogenetic information comes to light, ensuring that taxonomy evolves alongside scientific understanding of the phylogeny of life on Earth.

the correct answer is Option C