5. Please indicate crown and stem elephants on the phylogeny below. (Note: African elephants and Asian elephants are still alive, while Mastodons and Mammoths are extinct). African elephants Mammoths Asian elephants Mastodons
Phylogeny-- Phylogeny , the history of the evolution of a species or groups specially with reference to lines of descent and relationship among broad groups of organisms .
Term phylogeny derived from the Greek word phulon meaning tribe and genus or species , geneia or geny means generation or production .
Importance of Phylogeny -- Importance of phylogeny are as follows --
Phylogeny pertains to the evolutionary history of a taxonomic group of organisms and is used as a basis in phylogenetics with the relationship of an organism to other organism according to evolutionary similarities and differences .
It is very important in scientific study of identification , classification , ecology , and evolutionary histories of organisms .
It is also very important in understanding biodiversity , genetics , evolution and ecology among organisms .
By the use of phylogeny there is expansion of the basis of evolutionary relationships of organisms from the morphological aspect to genetic constructs of the organisms.
Definition --Phylogeny is the study of result and analysis of evolutionary occurrence of living organisms and is represented by a diagram in shape of tree called as phylogenic tree .
Stem and Crown Groups in Phylogenic --A crown group is the smallest clade which includes all living members of the a group and any fossil related with it .A stem group is a set of extinct taxa more closely related to the crown group but not member of crown group .
Elephants ---Elephants are largest land mammals on earth with distinct massive body , large ears and long trunks .
Proboscidean Mammals -- A group of mammals of the order -Proboscidea which includes elephants and their relatives either alive are extinct Mammoths and Mastodons .
Three species of elephant are extant today and more than 160 extinct proboscidean species have been identified and called as Gomphotheres .
Two genetically different ,African species exist -
The Savanna Elephant and Forest Elephant .
African Elephants savanna is the largest elephant species while Asian forest elephant and African forest elephant are of smaller size .Asian elephants differ as more than 10 physical difference .Asian elephants' ears are smaller compared to large fan shape ears of African species .
Only some male Asian elephants have tusks while both male and female African elephants grow tusks .
Importance of Elephants -- Elephants help to maintain forest and savanna ecosystems for other species are integrally tied to rich biodiversity , called as ecosystem engineers .
Elephants and mammoths belong to same surviving family Elephantidae.
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