Molecular Phylogeny Analysis

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Molecular phylogeny analyzes are carried out to clarify the evolutionary relationships between organisms using molecular biological methods.

background

"Evolution" expresses itself through changes at the level of nucleotide or protein sequences. These changes can be recorded gradually and quantitatively as well as qualitatively. The creation of species is evolutionarily a hierarchical process. Since there is only one historically correct, "actual" phylogeny , biologists have always tried to clarify the relationships between organisms.

methodology

The science of studying phylogenesis is also known as phylogenetics . Your results flow into the taxonomy. Traditionally, methods are used such as the evaluation of structural ( morphological ) and anatomical features of fossils , the comparison of the morphological, anatomical and physiological features of recent living beings (analysis of homologies ) and the comparison of the ontogeny of predominantly recent living beings.

By means of molecular genetic analyzes of the DNA , for example by means of DNA sequence analysis , extensive comparative data on the degree of relationship can be determined since about 1970 and a phylogenetic tree can be created from this, which represents the reconstructed relationships.

Sample publications

  • Claudia Drees , Sybille Hüfner, Andrea Matern, Gabriel Nève, Thorsten Assmann: Repeated sampling detects gene flow in a flightless ground beetle in a fragmented landscape . In: Hereditas . tape 148 , no. 1 , 2011, p. 36–45 , doi : 10.1111 / j.1601-5223.2010.02212.x (ecological studies using genetic methods).