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| analogous structure | a character found in two taxa that looks similar because of convergent evolution, not because of descent from a common ancestor |
| binomial nomenclature | a system of two-part scientific names for an organism, which includes genus and species names |
| branch point | a point on a phylogenetic tree where a single lineage splits to distinct new ones |
| clade | a group of taxa with the same set of shared derived characters, including an ancestral species and all its descendant s |
| cladistics | a method used to organize homologous traits to describe phylogenies using common descendent as the primary criterion used to classify organisms |
| class | the category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within phylum and includes orders |
| domain | the highest level category in the classification system and that includes all taxonomic classifications below it; it is the most inclusive taxon |
| family | the category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within order and includes genera |
| genus | the category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within family and includes species; the first part of the scientific name |
| kingdom | the category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within domain and includes phyla |
| maximum parsimony | applying the simplest, most obvious way with the least number of steps |
| molecular systematics | the methods of using molecular evidence to identify phylogenetic relationships |
| monophyletic group | (also, clade) organisms that share a single ancestor |
| order | the category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within class and includes families |
| phylogenetic tree | diagram used to reflect the evolutionary relationships between organisms or groups of organisms |
| phylogeny | evolutionary history and relationship of an organism or group of organisms |
| phylum | the category in the taxonomic classification system that falls within kingdom and includes classes |
| rooted | describing a phylogenetic tree with a single ancestral lineage to which all organisms represented in the diagram relate |
| shared ancestral character | a character on a phylogenetic branch that is shared by a particular clade |
| shared derived character | a character on a phylogenetic tree that is shared only by a certain clade of organisms |
| sister taxa | two lineages that diverged from the same branch point |
| species | the most specific category of classification |
| systematics | the science of determining the evolutionary relationships of organisms |
| taxonomy | the science of classifying organisms |
| taxon | a single level in the taxonomic classification system |
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