Buzzwords De-Buzzed: 10 Other Methods Of Saying Evolution Site

The Academy's Evolution Site

Biology is a key concept in biology. The Academies have been active for a long time in helping people who are interested in science comprehend the concept of evolution and how it permeates all areas of scientific research.

This site provides teachers, students and general readers with a wide range of learning resources about evolution. It includes important video clips from NOVA and the WGBH-produced science programs on DVD.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life, an ancient symbol, represents the interconnectedness of all life. It is used in many cultures and spiritual beliefs as a symbol of unity and love. It has numerous practical applications as well, including providing a framework to understand the history of species, and how they respond to changing environmental conditions.

Early attempts to represent the world of biology were based on categorizing organisms based on their physical and metabolic characteristics. These methods, which relied on the sampling of different parts of living organisms or on short fragments of their DNA greatly increased the variety of organisms that could be represented in a tree of life2. However these trees are mainly comprised of eukaryotes, and bacterial diversity remains vastly underrepresented3,4.

In avoiding the necessity of direct observation and experimentation genetic techniques have made it possible to represent the Tree of Life in a more precise manner. In particular, molecular methods enable us to create trees using sequenced markers like the small subunit ribosomal gene.

Despite the dramatic expansion of the Tree of Life through genome sequencing, a large amount of biodiversity remains to be discovered. This is especially true of microorganisms that are difficult to cultivate and are often only represented in a single sample5. A recent analysis of all genomes known to date has produced a rough draft version of the Tree of Life, including numerous bacteria and archaea that have not been isolated, and which are not well understood.

This expanded Tree of Life can be used to evaluate the biodiversity of a specific area and determine if specific habitats require special protection. This information can be utilized in a variety of ways, from identifying new remedies to fight diseases to improving crop yields. It is also beneficial for conservation efforts. It can aid biologists in identifying areas that are likely to have cryptic species, which could have vital metabolic functions and be vulnerable to human-induced change. While conservation funds are essential, the best way to conserve the world's biodiversity is to empower more people in developing countries with the knowledge they need to act locally and support conservation.

Phylogeny

A phylogeny (also called an evolutionary tree) illustrates the relationship between species. Scientists can build an phylogenetic chart which shows the evolution of taxonomic groups based on molecular data and morphological similarities or differences. The role of phylogeny is crucial in understanding the relationship between genetics, biodiversity and evolution.

A basic phylogenetic tree (see Figure PageIndex 10 ) determines the relationship between organisms with similar traits that have evolved from common ancestral. These shared traits are either homologous or analogous. Homologous traits share their underlying evolutionary path and analogous traits appear similar but do not have the identical origins. Scientists arrange similar traits into a grouping referred to as a the clade. All organisms in a group have a common characteristic, like amniotic egg production. They all came from an ancestor that had these eggs. A phylogenetic tree can be built by connecting the clades to identify the organisms which are the closest to each other.

Scientists make use of molecular DNA or RNA data to create a phylogenetic chart that is more accurate and detailed. This information is more precise and provides evidence of the evolution history of an organism. Researchers can utilize Molecular Data to calculate the age of evolution of organisms and identify how many organisms have a common ancestor.

Phylogenetic relationships can be affected by a number of factors such as phenotypicplasticity. This is a kind of behavior that changes due to unique environmental conditions. This can cause a trait to appear more similar in one species than another, obscuring the phylogenetic signal. This issue can be cured by using cladistics, which is a a combination of analogous and homologous features in the tree.

Additionally, phylogenetics aids determine the duration and speed of speciation. This information can help conservation biologists decide which species to protect from extinction. In the end, it is the conservation of phylogenetic diversity that will lead to an ecosystem that is complete and balanced.

Evolutionary Theory

The fundamental concept in evolution is that organisms change over time due to their interactions with their environment. A variety of theories about evolution have been proposed by a variety of scientists such as the Islamic naturalist Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-1274) who proposed that a living organism develop gradually according to its requirements and needs, the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) who developed the modern hierarchical taxonomy, as well as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) who suggested that use or disuse of traits can cause changes that could be passed on to offspring.

In the 1930s and 1940s, ideas from different fields, such as natural selection, genetics & particulate inheritance, were brought together to form a contemporary theorizing of evolution. This defines how evolution happens through the variations in genes within a population and how these variations change with time due to natural selection. This model, called genetic drift, mutation, gene flow and sexual selection, is a cornerstone of current evolutionary biology, and can be mathematically described.

Recent advances in the field of evolutionary developmental biology have shown how variation can be introduced to a species by genetic drift, mutations, reshuffling genes during sexual reproduction, and even migration between populations. These processes, as well as other ones like directional selection and genetic erosion (changes in the frequency of a genotype over time) can result in evolution, which is defined by changes in the genome of the species over time, and also by changes in phenotype over time (the expression of that genotype within the individual).

Incorporating evolutionary thinking into all aspects of biology education can improve students' understanding of phylogeny and evolution. In a recent study conducted by Grunspan et al. It was found that teaching students about the evidence for evolution boosted their understanding of evolution during an undergraduate biology course. To find out more about how to teach about evolution, look up The Evolutionary Potential of all Areas of Biology and Thinking Evolutionarily A Framework for Infusing the Concept of Evolution into Life Sciences Education.

Evolution in Action

Traditionally scientists have studied evolution through looking back, studying fossils, comparing species and studying living organisms. Evolution isn't a flims event, but an ongoing process that continues to be observed today. The virus reinvents itself to avoid new antibiotics and bacteria transform to resist antibiotics. Animals alter their behavior because of a changing environment. The results are often apparent.

However, it wasn't until late 1980s that biologists realized that natural selection can be observed in action as well. The key is that various characteristics result in different rates of survival and reproduction (differential fitness) and are passed from one generation to the next.

In the past, if an allele - the genetic sequence that determines colour appeared in a population of organisms that interbred, it could become more common than any other allele. Over time, that would mean the number of black moths in a population could increase. The same is true for many other characteristics--including morphology and behavior--that vary among populations of organisms.

It is easier to track evolutionary change when an organism, like bacteria, has a rapid generation turnover. Since  page  has been tracking twelve populations of E. bacteria that descend from a single strain. samples of each are taken regularly, and over fifty thousand generations have been observed.

Lenski's research has shown that mutations can drastically alter the speed at which a population reproduces and, consequently, the rate at which it alters. It also shows that evolution takes time, something that is difficult for some to accept.

Another example of microevolution is how mosquito genes that are resistant to pesticides are more prevalent in populations where insecticides are employed. This is because the use of pesticides creates a selective pressure that favors individuals who have resistant genotypes.

The speed at which evolution takes place has led to a growing appreciation of its importance in a world shaped by human activity--including climate change, pollution, and the loss of habitats which prevent many species from adjusting. Understanding evolution can assist you in making better choices regarding the future of the planet and its inhabitants.