10 Beautiful Graphics About Evolution Site

The Academy's Evolution Site

Biological evolution is one of the most fundamental concepts in biology. The Academies have been for a long time involved in helping those interested in science understand the concept of evolution and how it affects all areas of scientific research.

This site provides teachers, students and 에볼루션게이밍 general readers with a wide range of educational resources on evolution. It has key video clips from NOVA and 에볼루션 코리아카지노 (Going at Trade Britanica) the WGBH-produced science programs on DVD.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is an ancient symbol of the interconnectedness of life. It appears in many religions and cultures as a symbol of unity and love. It also has practical applications, like providing a framework to understand the history of species and how they react to changes in the environment.

The first attempts to depict the world of biology were founded on categorizing organisms on their metabolic and physical characteristics. These methods, based on the sampling of various parts of living organisms, or sequences of small DNA fragments, significantly increased the variety that could be represented in the tree of life2. These trees are largely composed of eukaryotes, while the diversity of bacterial species is greatly underrepresented3,4.

Genetic techniques have greatly expanded our ability to depict the Tree of Life by circumventing the need for direct observation and experimentation. We can create trees by using molecular methods like the small-subunit ribosomal gene.

Despite the dramatic growth of the Tree of Life through genome sequencing, a lot of biodiversity is waiting to be discovered. This is particularly true for microorganisms, which are difficult to cultivate and are usually only represented in a single sample5. A recent study of all genomes known to date has produced a rough draft version of the Tree of Life, including many archaea and bacteria that have not been isolated and whose diversity is poorly understood6.

This expanded Tree of Life can be used to determine the diversity of a particular area and determine if certain habitats require special protection. This information can be utilized in a range of ways, from identifying the most effective medicines to combating disease to enhancing crop yields. It is also useful in conservation efforts. It can help biologists identify the areas most likely to contain cryptic species with potentially important metabolic functions that could be at risk of anthropogenic changes. Although funding to protect biodiversity are essential but the most effective way to ensure the preservation of biodiversity around the world is for more people in developing countries to be empowered with the knowledge to take action locally to encourage conservation from within.

Phylogeny

A phylogeny is also known as an evolutionary tree, reveals the relationships between groups of organisms. Scientists can build an phylogenetic chart which shows the evolution of taxonomic categories using molecular information and morphological similarities or differences. Phylogeny is essential in understanding biodiversity, evolution and genetics.

A basic phylogenetic tree (see Figure PageIndex 10 Identifies the relationships between organisms that have similar traits and have evolved from an ancestor with common traits. These shared traits are either homologous or analogous. Homologous traits are similar in their evolutionary journey. Analogous traits may look like they are but they don't have the same ancestry. Scientists combine similar traits into a grouping referred to as a clade. All members of a clade share a trait, such as amniotic egg production. They all evolved from an ancestor who had these eggs. A phylogenetic tree is constructed by connecting the clades to identify the species who are the closest to each other.

For a more detailed and accurate phylogenetic tree, scientists use molecular data from DNA or RNA to identify the relationships among organisms. This information is more precise and gives evidence of the evolutionary history of an organism. The analysis of molecular data can help researchers determine the number of organisms that share a common ancestor and to estimate their evolutionary age.

Phylogenetic relationships can be affected by a number of factors that include the phenotypic plasticity. This is a type behavior that changes due to particular environmental conditions. This can cause a trait to appear more resembling to one species than to the other and obscure the phylogenetic signals. However, this issue can be cured by the use of methods such as cladistics that incorporate a combination of similar and homologous traits into the tree.

Furthermore, phylogenetics may aid in predicting the duration and rate of speciation. This information can help conservation biologists make decisions about the species they should safeguard from extinction. Ultimately, it is the preservation of phylogenetic diversity that will create a complete and balanced ecosystem.

Evolutionary Theory

The fundamental concept of evolution is that organisms develop different features over time as a result of their interactions with their environments. Many scientists have come up with theories of evolution, including the Islamic naturalist Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-274), who believed that a living thing would evolve according to its own needs as well as the Swedish taxonomist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) who conceived the modern taxonomy system that is hierarchical, as well as Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1844-1829), who suggested that the usage or non-use of certain traits can result in changes that can be passed on to future generations.

In the 1930s & 1940s, theories from various fields, such as natural selection, genetics & particulate inheritance, were brought together to form a modern theorizing of evolution. This defines how evolution is triggered by the variation in genes within the population and how these variations change over time as a result of natural selection. This model, which encompasses genetic drift, mutations, gene flow and sexual selection is mathematically described.

Recent discoveries in the field of evolutionary developmental biology have shown how variations can be introduced to a species via genetic drift, mutations, reshuffling genes during sexual reproduction, and even migration between populations. These processes, 에볼루션코리아 as well as others, such as directional selection and gene erosion (changes in the frequency of genotypes over time) can result in evolution. Evolution is defined by changes in the genome over time, as well as changes in phenotype (the expression of genotypes within individuals).

Students can gain a better understanding of phylogeny by incorporating evolutionary thinking in all areas of biology. A recent study conducted by Grunspan and colleagues, for example revealed that teaching students about the evidence that supports evolution helped students accept the concept of evolution in a college biology class. For more information on how to teach about evolution, see The Evolutionary Potential of all Areas of Biology and Thinking Evolutionarily: A Framework for Infusing Evolution into Life Sciences Education.

Evolution in Action

Scientists have studied evolution through looking back in the past--analyzing fossils and comparing species. They also study living organisms. Evolution is not a past event, but an ongoing process. The virus reinvents itself to avoid new medications and bacteria mutate to resist antibiotics. Animals alter their behavior as a result of the changing environment. The changes that result are often evident.

It wasn't until the late 1980s when biologists began to realize that natural selection was in action. The key to this is that different traits result in the ability to survive at different rates as well as reproduction, and may be passed down from one generation to another.

In the past when one particular allele--the genetic sequence that defines color in a population of interbreeding organisms, it could rapidly become more common than the other alleles. Over time, this would mean that the number of moths with black pigmentation in a group may increase. The same is true for many other characteristics--including morphology and behavior--that vary among populations of organisms.

It is easier to observe evolution when an organism, like bacteria, has a rapid generation turnover. Since 1988 the biologist Richard Lenski has been tracking twelve populations of E. bacteria that descend from a single strain; samples from each population are taken every day and more than 50,000 generations have now been observed.

Lenski's work has shown that mutations can alter the rate of change and the efficiency of a population's reproduction. It also shows that evolution takes time, which is difficult for some to accept.

Another example of microevolution is that mosquito genes that are resistant to pesticides show up more often in populations where insecticides are employed. Pesticides create a selective pressure which favors individuals who have resistant genotypes.

The speed of evolution taking place has led to an increasing awareness of its significance in a world that is shaped by human activities, including climate changes, pollution and the loss of habitats that prevent the species from adapting. Understanding the evolution process can help us make smarter decisions regarding the future of our planet as well as the life of its inhabitants.