15 Ideas For Gifts For The Evolution Site Lover In Your Life

The Academy's Evolution Site

The concept of biological evolution is a fundamental concept in biology. The Academies are involved in helping those interested in science understand evolution theory and how it is permeated in all areas of scientific research.

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

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is an ancient symbol that represents the interconnectedness of life. It is an emblem of love and harmony in a variety of cultures. It can be used in many practical ways 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 rely on the sampling of different parts of living organisms or short DNA fragments, significantly expanded the diversity that could be included in the tree of life2. These trees are largely composed by eukaryotes and bacterial diversity is vastly underrepresented3,4.

Genetic techniques have greatly expanded our ability to visualize the Tree of Life by circumventing the requirement for direct observation and experimentation. In particular, molecular methods allow us to build trees using sequenced markers, such as the small subunit ribosomal RNA 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 that are difficult to cultivate and which are usually only found in a single specimen5. A recent study of all known genomes has produced a rough draft of the Tree of Life, including many bacteria and archaea that have not been isolated, and which are not well understood.

The expanded Tree of Life can be used to determine the diversity of a specific region and determine if particular habitats need special protection. This information can be utilized in a range of ways, from identifying the most effective treatments to fight disease to enhancing crops. The information is also incredibly useful for conservation efforts.  mouse click the following article  can help biologists identify areas that are most likely to be home to species that are cryptic, which could have important metabolic functions and be vulnerable to human-induced change. While funds to protect biodiversity are important, the most effective method to preserve the world's biodiversity is to equip more people in developing nations with the necessary knowledge to act locally and promote conservation.

Phylogeny

A phylogeny (also known as an evolutionary tree) illustrates the relationship between organisms. Using molecular data as well as morphological similarities and distinctions or ontogeny (the process of the development of an organism) scientists can construct a phylogenetic tree that illustrates the evolution of taxonomic groups. Phylogeny is essential in understanding the evolution of biodiversity, evolution and genetics.

A basic phylogenetic tree (see Figure PageIndex 10 Identifies the relationships between organisms with similar traits and have evolved from a common ancestor. These shared traits can be analogous or homologous. Homologous traits share their evolutionary origins while analogous traits appear similar, but do not share the identical origins. Scientists combine similar traits into a grouping referred to as a the clade. For instance, all the organisms that make up a clade have the characteristic of having amniotic eggs. They evolved from a common ancestor who had eggs. A phylogenetic tree is constructed by connecting the clades to determine the organisms that are most closely related to each other.

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

The phylogenetic relationships between organisms are influenced by many factors, including phenotypic flexibility, an aspect of behavior that changes in response to specific environmental conditions. This can cause a characteristic to appear more resembling to one species than to the other which can obscure the phylogenetic signal. This problem can be addressed by using cladistics, which is a an amalgamation of homologous and analogous features in the tree.

Furthermore, phylogenetics may help predict the time and pace of speciation. This information can aid conservation biologists to make decisions about which species they should protect from the threat of extinction. In the end, it is the conservation of phylogenetic variety 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. Many theories of evolution have been developed 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, 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 causes changes that could be passed on to the offspring.

In the 1930s & 1940s, ideas from different fields, including natural selection, genetics & particulate inheritance, came together to form a modern theorizing of evolution. This defines how evolution occurs by the variation of genes in a population and how these variants change with time due to natural selection. This model, called genetic drift or mutation, gene flow, and sexual selection, is a key element of modern evolutionary biology and can be mathematically explained.

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

Students can better understand the concept of phylogeny by using evolutionary thinking in all aspects of biology. A recent study by Grunspan and colleagues, for example revealed that teaching students about the evidence for evolution increased students' understanding of evolution in a college biology class. For more details on how to teach about evolution read The Evolutionary Potency in All Areas of Biology or Thinking Evolutionarily A Framework for Integrating 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 isn't a flims moment; it is a process that continues today. Viruses evolve to stay away from new antibiotics and bacteria transform to resist antibiotics. Animals adapt their behavior in the wake of the changing environment. The results are often evident.

It wasn't until late 1980s that biologists began to realize that natural selection was also in play. The key is the fact that different traits result in an individual rate of survival and reproduction, and they can be passed down from one generation to another.

In the past, if one particular allele - the genetic sequence that determines coloration--appeared in a population of interbreeding organisms, it might quickly become more prevalent than all other alleles. In time, this could mean that the number of black moths in the 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 observe evolutionary change when a species, such as bacteria, has a rapid generation turnover. Since 1988, Richard Lenski, a biologist, has studied twelve populations of E.coli that descend from a single strain. Samples of each population have been taken frequently and more than 50,000 generations of E.coli have passed.

Lenski's research has revealed that mutations can alter the rate at which change occurs and the efficiency of a population's reproduction. It also demonstrates that evolution takes time, something that is difficult for some to accept.

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

The rapid pace at which evolution takes place has led to an increasing appreciation of its importance in a world shaped by human activity--including climate changes, pollution and the loss of habitats which prevent the species from adapting. Understanding evolution will help us make better choices about the future of our planet as well as the life of its inhabitants.