PhylogeneticsStudy of evolutionary relationships between organismsOne small clade of fish, showing how venom has evolved multiple times.In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionaryhistory of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical data and observed heritable traits of DNA sequences, proteinamino acid sequences, and morphology.
DNA sequencingProcess of determining the nucleic acid sequenceDNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The advent of rapid DNA sequencing methods has greatly accelerated biological and medical research and discovery.DNA–DNA hybridizationIn genomics, DNA–DNA hybridization is a molecular biology technique that measures the degree of genetic similarity between DNA sequences. It is used to determine the genetic distance between two organisms and has been used extensively in phylogeny and taxonomy.
SystematicsSystematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: phylogenetic trees, phylogenies). Phylogenies have two components: branching order (showing group relationships, graphically represented in cladograms) and branch length (showing amount of evolution).
Phylogenetic treeA phylogenetic tree or phylogeny is a graphical representation which shows the evolutionary history between a set of species or taxa during a specific time. In other words, it is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological species or other entities based upon similarities and differences in their physical or genetic characteristics.Molecular evolutionMolecular evolution describes how inherited DNA and/or RNA change over evolutionary time, and the consequences of this for proteins and other components of cells and organisms. Molecular evolution is the basis of phylogenetic approaches to describing the tree of life. Molecular evolution overlaps with population genetics, especially on shorter timescales.
BirdWarm-blooded animals with wings and feathersBirds are a group of warm-bloodedvertebrateanimals constituting the classAves, characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. They live worldwide and range in size from the 5.5 cm (2.2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) common ostrich.Taxonomy (biology)In biology, taxonomy (from Ancient Greek (taxis)'arrangement' and ()'method') is the scientific study of naming, defining (circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Modern approaches prioritize common ancestry and evolutionary relationships.
TaxonIn biology, a taxon is a group of one or more populations of an organism, or organisms, as seen by taxonomists to form a biological unit; (taxon: back-formation from taxonomy; pl.: taxa). Although neither is required, a taxon, once its description has become established, is usually known by a particular name and is given a particular ranking.Bootstrapping (statistics)Bootstrapping is a procedure for estimating the distribution of an estimator by resampling (often with replacement) one's data or a model which is estimated from the data. Bootstrapping assigns measures of accuracy (bias, variance, confidence intervals, prediction error, etc.) to sample estimates. This technique allows estimation of the sampling distribution of almost any statistic using random sampling methods.
BiogeographyStudy of distribution of speciesFrontispiece to Alfred Russel Wallace's book The Geographical Distribution of AnimalsBiogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and throughout geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.