In
phylogenetics, basal members of a group diverged earlier than a subgroup of others (or vice versa). It is often used in opposition to the word
derived. The following are example usages of the term basal:....The
palaeodicots are basal
flowering plants, diverging before the main split between the
monocots and
eudicots.
Orangutans are the most basal of the
great apes, having diverged from the line earliest.Many
biologists (especially those that use
cladistics) now prefer to use "basal" instead of the word "primitive," which may imply inferiority. On the contrary, if a basal member of a group exists alongside derived members, it has had more time to
evolve and is often equally well-suited to its environment.
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