What does the term 'basal' mean in biology?
Q: What does the term 'basal' mean in biology?
A: In biology, the term 'basal' is used to refer to something that is primitive or ancestral.
Q: How did the use of this terminology come about?
A: The use of this terminology came into use with cladistics.
Q: What does it mean for a group to be considered basal?
A: A basal group is one which gave rise to later forms and has evolved before other groups.
Q: What does it mean for a trait to be derived?
A: A derived trait is one that is present in an organism but was not present in the last common ancestor of the group being considered.
Q: Can living species ever be considered basal?
A: No, living species can only ever be considered derived.
Q: Is simplicity always primary or can it sometimes be secondary?
A: Simplicity can sometimes be secondarily derived; for example, no mitochondria in the anaerobic protist Entamoeba histolytica is a result of their secondary loss.
Q: Can you provide an example of a basal-derived pair? A: An example of a basal-derived pair would be early primates (basal) and monkeys, apes and Homo (derived).
