phylogeny
Species family tree
Phylogeny is the evolutionary history and relationships among species or groups of organisms.
Biologists reconstruct phylogenies to understand how life diversified—which species share common ancestors and when lineages diverged.
A phylogenetic tree visually maps these relationships, with branches representing evolutionary pathways: The phylogeny of whales shows their closest living relatives are hippos.
Diagram of evolutionary branching
- cladeMonophyletic taxonomic group
- sister groupNearest branch in phylogeny
- outgroupNon-members of one's group
- ingroupExclusive social circle
branching · convergence · parsimony · node · topology · bootstrap
Origin point of descendants
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
- evolutionary historyRecord of ancestral descent
- macroevolutionEvolutionary change above species
microevolution · fossil record · paleontology · natural selection · genetic drift · mutation · evolutionary biology · Darwinism
Systematic grouping by traits
- systematicsScience of classifying organisms
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- genusTaxonomic rank above species
- familyRelated people together
order · class · phylum · kingdom · domain · nomenclature · rank · Linnaean
Number of different organisms
- endemicNative to one area
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
Reading nucleotide base order
- mitochondrial DNAMaternally inherited organelle genome
- alignmentCorrect relative positioning
- nucleotideGenetic code subunit
- amino acidProtein's molecular subunit
cladogram
Diagram of evolutionary branching
- cladeMonophyletic taxonomic group
- sister groupNearest branch in phylogeny
- outgroupNon-members of one's group
ingroup · branching · convergence · parsimony · node · topology · bootstrap
common ancestor
Origin point of descendants
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
- evolutionary historyRecord of ancestral descent
macroevolution · microevolution · fossil record · paleontology · natural selection · genetic drift · mutation · evolutionary biology · Darwinism · tree of life
classification
Systematic grouping by traits
- systematicsScience of classifying organisms
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- genusTaxonomic rank above species
family · order · class · phylum · kingdom · domain · nomenclature · rank · Linnaean · taxon
species diversity
Number of different organisms
- endemicNative to one area
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
extinction · diversification · biogeography · conservation · lineage
DNA sequencing
Reading nucleotide base order
- mitochondrial DNAMaternally inherited organelle genome
- alignmentCorrect relative positioning
- nucleotideGenetic code subunit
dating
Pursuing romantic connections
- calibrationAdjusting for measurement accuracy
phylogenyontogeny
Individual's developmental history
embryogenesis · personal development · morphogenesis · maturation · growth