Phylogenetics

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Phylogenetics

Phylogenetics (pronounced: /ˌfaɪloʊdʒəˈnɛtɪks/) is a branch of biology that studies the evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms.

Etymology

The term "Phylogenetics" is derived from the Ancient Greek words phyle (φυλή), meaning "tribe, clan" and genetikos (γενετικός), meaning "relative to birth" from genesis (γένεσις) "origin, source, birth".

Definition

Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms. These relationships are discovered through phylogenetic inference methods that evaluate observed hereditary patterns. The result of these analyses is a phylogeny (also known as a phylogenetic tree) – a diagrammatic hypothesis about the history of the evolutionary relationships of a group of organisms.

Related Terms

  • Phylogenetic tree: A branching diagram or "tree" showing the inferred evolutionary relationships among various biological species based upon similarities and differences in their physical and/or genetic characteristics.
  • Cladistics: A method of classification of animals and plants according to the proportion of measurable characteristics that they have in common.
  • Molecular phylogenetics: The branch of phylogeny that analyses hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships.
  • Phylogenomic: A field of research that utilizes the genomic data of different species to infer the evolutionary relationships among them.

See Also

External links

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