AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -These groups are recognized by sharing unique features which were not present in distant ancestors. These shared derived characteristics are called synapomorphies.

Detailed explanation-2: -A synapomorphy is a derived character that is shared by all the members of the clade. Using synapomorphies to define clades will result in a nested hierarchy of clades.

Detailed explanation-3: -So you’ll wind up with thing called clades. A clade is a group of related organisms that all have a shared derived trait or shared derived traits.

Detailed explanation-4: -Using shared derived characters A shared character is one that two lineages have in common, and a derived character is one that evolved in the lineage leading up to a clade and that sets members of that clade apart from other individuals.

Detailed explanation-5: -A clade consists of an organism and all of its descendants. For example, the shared ancestor of apes and all of that species descendant species would comprise a “clade.”