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Are monkeys paraphyletic?
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Thus monkeys, in that sense, constitute an incomplete paraphyletic grouping; however, in the broader sense based on cladistics, apes (Hominoidea) are also included, making the terms monkeys and simians synonyms in regard to their scope.
- Paraphyletic Definition
- Reasons A Group Is Paraphyletic
- Quiz
Paraphyletic is a term used in evolutionary biology to describe a group of animals which contains a common ancestor and some, but not all, of the descendants. Describing a group of organisms as a paraphyletic group implies that for some reason, some members of the natural group have been placed into another group. There are many reasons this could ...
New Understanding
Sometimes, organisms which look incredibly different are actually closely related. Look at the graph below, describing the phylogenetic relationships between different groups of animals. This cladogram shows different groups of animals, with the green shaded area representing reptiles, or the taxonomic group “Reptilia”. As is made clear by the picture, reptiles include a group of animals which is paraphyletic. This is a paraphyletic group because it excludes the mammals (“Mammalia”) and the b...
Undiscovered Species
Often, we don’t even know that a group we are discussing is paraphyletic. Many species in the world remain undiscovered, which makes them unable to be placed in a phylogeny. If a group doesn’t include all of the existent species, it is a paraphyletic group. A paraphyletic group is not necessarily wrong, as it does show the relationship between organisms and their descendants. However, in analyzing paraphyletic groups, scientists cannot get a full view of the relationships between animals.
Language
Often, the common language for animals outweighs any scientific names ascribed to them. While this is extremely beneficial for average people trying to communicate about various animals, it is often a pain for scientists trying to describe the complex relationships between animals. Consider the word “wasp”. What does that mean to you? It probably means an insect, with wings, a thin abdominal section, and a sharp stinger. While that definition is enough to understand what someone means when th...
1. A researcher studying the evolution of flying animals groups a bat and a butterfly, and labels them “Things which fly”. What kind of group is this? A. Paraphyletic B. Polyphyletic C.Monophyletic 2. The advent of modern DNA analysis techniques revealed many paraphyletic groups within the classification schemes backed by science. Why is DNA more r...
Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic with respect to the excluded subgroups. In contrast, a monophyletic grouping (a clade) includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants.
The distinction between apes and monkeys is complicated by the traditional paraphyly of monkeys: Apes emerged as a sister group of Old World Monkeys in the catarrhines, which are a sister group of New World Monkeys.
Sep 24, 2009 · "Monkeys" is paraphyletic, and in particular Old World monkeys are more closely related to "apes" than they are to New World monkeys. (Also, humans and Old World monkeys are equally closely related to New World monkeys).
Sep 8, 2012 · Do you see how Old World monkeys are more closely related to apes than they are to New World monkeys? That renders the term ‘monkey’ polyphyletic. Because biological names should reflect monophyletic clades, the entire clade comprising New World monkeys, apes, and Old World monkeys can accurately be referred to as “monkeys.”
May 3, 2006 · The term 'monkey' only becomes paraphyletic if we imply that platyrrhine and catarrhine monkeys should be grouped to the exclusion of fossil anthropoid taxa.
