It Is Not Unusual for a Phylogeny Reconstruction to Result

question 42

Essay

It is not unusual for a phylogeny reconstruction to result in more than one equally robust phylogenetic trees that differ in their branching patterns. How can this be the case if evolution only took one true pathway?

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Definitions:

Conditioned Response

is a learned reaction to a conditioned stimulus that occurs because of previous conditioning, typically in the context of classical conditioning.

Unconditioned Stimulus

A stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a reflexive response without the need for prior learning.

Conditioned Stimulus

A previously neutral stimulus that, after being associated with an unconditioned stimulus, elicits a conditioned response in classical conditioning.

Unconditioned Response

An automatic, natural reaction to a stimulus that occurs without prior conditioning or learning.