Modern vertebrate classification recognizes groups as valid only if they are:
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Correct answer: Monophyletic (single ancestry)
A monophyletic group includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Modern taxonomy recognizes only such natural, evolutionary groupings as valid, rejecting paraphyletic or polyphyletic assemblages.
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More Modern Animal Classification questions
- Modern animal classification primarily relies on which principle?
- Phylogeny refers to the study of:
- Which group is considered the most primitive among vertebrates?
- Which character is common to all vertebrates?
- Which group of vertebrates shows both aquatic and terrestrial adaptations?
- The appearance of the amniotic egg was a key evolutionary advancement in: