Welcome to our journey through the world of phylogenetic trees!

Today, we're going to talk about the

groups we see on these special trees and what they mean.
Understanding Groups: In phylogenetic trees, groups are like big families of organisms that are related to each
other. Each group represents a bunch of species that share a common ancestor, kind of like cousins in a family.
Formation of Groups: Groups in phylogenetic trees are formed when one species splits into two or more
different ones. This happens when some animals or plants move away and start evolving separately. Over time,
these changes lead to the formation of new groups.
Types of Groups: There are different levels of groups in phylogenetic trees, from big categories like mammals
or birds to smaller ones like cats or dogs. Each group shows how closely related species are to each other.
What Groups Tell Us: When we look at a phylogenetic tree, we can see which groups are more closely related.
Species that are closer together on the tree share a more recent common ancestor. This helps scientists
understand how different species are connected and how they've changed over time.
Conclusion: Groups in phylogenetic trees are like big family branches, showing us how different species are
related to each other. By studying these groups, scientists can learn a lot about the history of life on Earth.

HANDOUTTTTTT
For example, the frog, crocodile, platypus, kangaroo, and elephant all have four legs. This is indicated on the
phylogenetic tree by the hashmark labeled "four legs" just below the node representing the common ancestor of
these five species (this common ancestor possessed four legs). The platypus, kangaroo, and elephant all have
hair and mammary glands, but also the derived features that appeared earlier in the history of the ingroup (i.e.,
four legs and amniotic eggs). Note, however, that we do not have enough information to determine whether hair
originated before or after mammary glands, despite their order of depiction on the tree. Finally, the kangaroo
and elephant both give birth to live young, a characteristic absent in all of the other species, which lay eggs. The
kangaroo and elephant, of course, also posses all of the features exhibited by the more basal taxa (i.e., those
with fewer synapomorphies that are connected to deeper nodes on the tree), including four legs, amniotic eggs
(which develop internally), hair, and mammary glands. Because they have more synapomorphies and are
connected to shallower nodes on the tree, the kangaroo and elephant are said to be derived taxa.
Contrast synapomorphies with plesiomorphies, which are ancestral features (sometimes called primitive
features) that do not provide grouping information. Suppose your ingroup included a lion, a tiger, and a bear (oh
my!). If hair were used as a character in such a study, it would be a plesiomorphy because all three animals have
the feature, which is universal among mammals. The presence of hair alone does not tell us whether a lion is
more closely related to a tiger or to a bear, although a variety of other features (synapomorphies) do indeed
separate the two large cats from the bear.