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Plesiomorphy, symplesiomorphy, apomorphy, and synapomorphy all mean a trait shared between species because they share an ancestral species. [ a ] Apomorphic and synapomorphic characteristics convey much information about evolutionary clades and can be used to define taxa.
Symplesiomorphy – an ancestral trait shared by two or more taxa. Plesiomorphy – a symplesiomorphy discussed in reference to a more derived state. Pseudoplesiomorphy – a trait that cannot be identified as either a plesiomorphy or an apomorphy that is a reversal.
Symplesiomorphy – an ancestral trait shared by two or more taxa. Plesiomorphy – a symplesiomorphy discussed in reference to a more derived state. Pseudoplesiomorphy – is a trait that cannot be identified as neither a plesiomorphy nor an apomorphy that is a reversal.
The terms "plesiomorphy" and "apomorphy" are typically used in the technical literature: for example, when a plesiomorphic trait is shared by more than one member of a clade, the trait is called a symplesiomorphy, that is, a shared primitive trait; a shared derived trait is a synapomorphy.
Since cold-bloodedness is a plesiomorphy, inherited from the common ancestor of traditional reptiles and birds, and thus a symplesiomorphy of turtles, snakes and crocodiles (among others), it does not mean that turtles, snakes and crocodiles form a clade that excludes the birds. An apomorphy ("separate form") or derived state is an innovation.
Shared ancestral character states, symplesiomorphies, represent either synapomorphies of a more inclusive group, or complementary states (often absences) that unite no natural group of organisms. For example, the presence of wings is a synapomorphy for pterygote insects, but a symplesiomorphy for holometabolous insects.
Hennig coined the key terms synapomorphy, symplesiomorphy, and paraphyly. He also asserted, in his "auxiliary principle", that "the presence of apomorphous characters in different species 'is always reason for suspecting kinship [i.e., that species belong to a monophyletic group], and that their origin by convergence should not be presumed a ...
When looking at the theory of symmorphosis, one must consider if the design in the organism is fully optimized. [3] The structural design in terms of symmorphosis means that the organ is designed to allow full capacity of its function and can allow for adjustments to occur when necessary. [5]