Outline of evolution
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to
evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
: In
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...
, evolution is change in the
heritable Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic informa ...
characteristics of biological organisms over generations due to
natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Cha ...
,
mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, m ...
,
gene flow In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...
, and
genetic drift Genetic drift, also known as allelic drift or the Wright effect, is the change in the frequency of an existing gene variant (allele) in a population due to random chance. Genetic drift may cause gene variants to disappear completely and there ...
. Also known as descent with modification. Over time these evolutionary processes lead to formation of new species (
speciation Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution withi ...
), changes within lineages (
anagenesis Anagenesis is the gradual evolution of a species that continues to exist as an interbreeding population. This contrasts with cladogenesis, which occurs when there is branching or splitting, leading to two or more lineages and resulting in separate ...
), and loss of species (
extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the Endling, last individual of the species, although the Functional ext ...
). "Evolution" is also another name for
evolutionary biology Evolutionary biology is the subfield of biology that studies the evolutionary processes (natural selection, common descent, speciation) that produced the diversity of life on Earth. It is also defined as the study of the history of life ...
, the subfield of
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...
concerned with studying evolutionary processes that produced the diversity of life on Earth.


Fundamentals about evolution


Introduction

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Basic principles

* ** *** Natural speciation **** **** **** **** *** Artificial speciation **** **** **** *** ** ** ** * ** ** *** ** ** **


Subfields

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History

* ** ** ** * ** By period or event *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** **** *** ** By field *** *** *** *** *


Evolutionary theory and modelling

''See also Basic principles (above)''


Population genetics

* * Process ** ** *** **** *** *** ** ** *** *** *** *** * Variation ** *** *** *** * Key concepts ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * Effects of selection ** ** * Related topics ** ** ** ** **


Evolutionary phenomena

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Modelling

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Taxonomy, systematics, and phylogeny


Fundamentals

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Basic concepts of phylogenetics

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Inference methods

* * * ''Probabilistic methods'' ** ** * ** ** ** *


Current topics

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Group Traits

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Group Types

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Evolution of biodiversity

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Origin and evolutionary history of life

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Evolution of organisms


Evolution of tetrapods

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Evolution of other animals

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Evolution of plants

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Evolution of other taxa

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Evolution of cells, organs, and systems

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Evolution of molecules and genes

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Evolution of behaviour

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Evolution of other processes

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Applications in other disciplines

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Evolutionary issues


Controversy about evolution

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Religious and philosophical views of evolution

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Influence of evolutionary theory

* * See also '' Applications in other disciplines''


Publications and organizations concerning evolution


Books

* '' Evolution: The Modern Synthesis'' – book by
Julian Huxley Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (22 June 1887 – 14 February 1975) was an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist, and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century modern synthesis. ...
(grandson of
Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stori ...
); one of the most important books of modern evolutionary synthesis, published in 1942 * ''
The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection ''The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection'' is a book by Ronald Fisher which combines Mendelian genetics with Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, with Fisher being the first to argue that "Mendelism therefore validates Darwinism" and ...
'' – book by R.A. Fisher important in modern evolutionary synthesis, first published in 1930 * ''
Genetics and the Origin of Species ''Genetics and the Origin of Species'' is a 1937 book by the Ukrainian-American evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky. It is regarded as one of the most important works of the modern synthesis, and was one of the earliest. The book populari ...
'' – 1937 book by Ukrainian-American evolutionary biologist
Theodosius Dobzhansky Theodosius Grigorievich Dobzhansky (russian: Феодо́сий Григо́рьевич Добржа́нский; uk, Теодо́сій Григо́рович Добржа́нський; January 25, 1900 – December 18, 1975) was a prominent ...
* ''
On the Origin of Species ''On the Origin of Species'' (or, more completely, ''On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life''),The book's full original title was ''On the Origin of Species by Me ...
'' – seminal book by
Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
concerning
evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
by
natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. Cha ...
, first published in 1859 * '' Systematics and the Origin of Species from the Viewpoint of a Zoologist'' – book by zoologist and evolutionary biologist
Ernst Mayr Ernst Walter Mayr (; 5 July 1904 – 3 February 2005) was one of the 20th century's leading evolutionary biologists. He was also a renowned taxonomist, tropical explorer, ornithologist, philosopher of biology, and historian of science. His ...
, canonical publication of modern evolutionary synthesis, first published in 1942 by
Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fie ...
* ''
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory ''The Structure of Evolutionary Theory'' (2002) is Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould's technical book on macroevolution and the historical development of evolutionary theory. The book was twenty years in the making, published just two mo ...
'' – technical book on macroevolutionary theory by the Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould *


Journals

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Organizations

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Evolution scholars and researchers

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Prominent evolutionary biologists

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See also

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External links

;General information * * * * *
Human Timeline (Interactive)
Smithsonian,
National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7. ...
(August 2016). ;Experiments concerning the process of biological evolution *
Algorithms, games, and evolution
''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA'' ;Online lectures * * {{Outline footer
Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
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