Crown-giant, trunk-ground, trunk-crown, twig
Further Explanation
The phylogenetic tree or evolutionary tree is a branching diagram or "tree" that shows the evolutionary relationship between various species of living things based on their similarities and differences in physical and/or genetic characteristics. The taxon that is connected to the tree is inherited from a common ancestor. The first portrayal of this tree was found among others in the book Elementary Geology from Edward Hitchcock (1840) and The Origin of Species from Charles Darwin (1859).
Evolution (in biological studies) means changes in the inherited characteristics of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection. When organisms reproduce, their offspring will have new characteristics. New traits can be obtained from gene changes due to mutations or gene transfers between populations and between species. Evolution occurs when these inherited differences become more common or rare in a population.
This branch also develops and tests theories that explain the causes of evolution. The study of the fossil record and the biodiversity of living organisms has convinced scientists in the mid-19th century that species change over time. However, the mechanism driving this change remained unclear until the 1859 publication by Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, which explained in detail the theory of evolution through natural selection. Darwin's work was immediately followed by the acceptance of the theory of evolution in the scientific community. In 1930, Darwin's theory of natural selection was combined with Mendelian inheritance theory, forming a synthesis of modern evolution, which connected the evolutionary unit (genes) with the mechanism of evolution (natural selection). The strength of the explanation and prediction of this theory encourages research that continually raises new questions, where it has become a central principle of modern biology that provides a more comprehensive explanation of biodiversity on earth.
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The phylogenetic tree
Charles Darwin
Details
Grade: Middle School
Subject: Biology
Keywords: phylogenetic, tree, evolution
