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#bio
Synapomorphy: a characteristic present in an ancestral species and shared exclusively (in more or less modified form) by its evolutionary descendants. Homology: similarity due to common ancestry Analogy: similarity of function and superficial resemblance of structures that are not due to common ancestry Most Recent Common Ancestor: This is represented by a node on an evolutionary tree. It represents the last time groups were members of the same population. Monophyletic Group: A grouping that includes all the descendant taxa from their most recent common ancestor. Paraphyletic Group: A grouping that excludes one or more descendants from the grouping based on their most recent common ancestor. Polyphyletic Group: A grouping (typically based on analogy) that does not have an immediate common ancestor