Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Phylogeny

Phylogeny

Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire...

Microbial Phylogeny

Microbial Phylogeny

Understanding the evolutionary relationships among microorganisms is fundamental to microbial ecology and taxonomy. Phylogenetic trees are essential tools for inferring these relationships, relying primarily on comparative analyses of molecular sequences such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. In microbial studies, these trees typically depict the evolutionary paths of diverse bacterial and archaeal species by mapping genetic differences accumulated over time.Phylogenetic trees are composed of tips,...

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...

Phylogenetic Trees

Phylogenetic Trees

Phylogenetic trees come in many forms. It matters in which sequence the organisms are arranged from the bottom to the top of the tree, but the branches can rotate at their nodes without altering the information. The lines connecting individual nodes can be straight, angled, or even curved.The length of the branches can depict time or the relative amount of change among organisms. For instance, the branch length might indicate the number of amino acid changes in the sequence that underlies the...

Phylogenetic Trees

Phylogenetic Trees

Phylogenetic trees come in many forms. It matters in which sequence the organisms are arranged from the bottom to the top of the tree, but the branches can rotate at their nodes without altering the information. The lines connecting individual nodes can be straight, angled, or even curved.The length of the branches can depict time or the relative amount of change among organisms. For instance, the branch length might indicate the number of amino acid changes in the sequence that underlies the...

The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes

The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes

The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both extant and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Habitat changes and changing predatory habits in North American fossil canids.

Nature communications·2015

Same author

Comparative ingestive mastication in domestic horses and cattle: a pilot investigation.

Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition·2010

Same author

Miocene ungulates and terrestrial primary productivity: where have all the browsers gone?

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2000

Same author

Evolutionary and preservational constraints on origins of biologic groups: divergence times of eutherian mammals.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·1999

Same author

On the means whereby mammals achieve increased functional durability of their dentitions, with special reference to limiting factors.

Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·1988

Same author

Muscles of the masticatory apparatus in two genera of hyraces (Procavia and Heterohyrax).

Journal of morphology·1983

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

New ideas in ungulate phylogeny and evolution.

¹Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|January 14, 2011

Summary

Modern hoofed mammals (ungulates) represent specialized evolutionary endpoints. Recent discoveries challenge traditional ungulate classification, impacting our understanding of Tertiary biogeography and evolution.

Area of Science:

Paleontology
Systematic Biology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Ungulates, primarily even-toed (Artiodactyla) and odd-toed (Perissodactyla) orders, exhibit herbivorous specializations, large body sizes, or fleetness.
These extant ungulates are specialized descendants of diverse early Tertiary forms, including generalized and carnivorous species.
Unique ungulate radiations, such as South American ungulates (extinct) and African 'subungulates' (critically endangered), highlight evolutionary divergence.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate ungulate classification in light of new fossil discoveries and phylogenetic systematics.
To investigate the evolutionary history and biogeographical patterns of hoofed mammals during the Tertiary period.
To understand the diversification and extinction events within ungulate radiations.

More Related Videos

Transabdominal Ultrasound for Pregnancy Diagnosis in Reeves' Muntjac Deer

Transabdominal Ultrasound for Pregnancy Diagnosis in Reeves' Muntjac Deer

Published on: January 7, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

Transabdominal Ultrasound for Pregnancy Diagnosis in Reeves' Muntjac Deer

Transabdominal Ultrasound for Pregnancy Diagnosis in Reeves' Muntjac Deer

Published on: January 7, 2014

Main Methods:

Analysis of recent fossil discoveries of ungulates.
Application of advanced phylogenetic systematic methods.
Comparative anatomical and evolutionary studies.

Main Results:

New evidence prompts a re-examination of established ungulate classifications.
Understanding of early Tertiary ungulate diversity, including carnivorous forms, has expanded.
Biogeographical interpretations of Tertiary mammal distribution are being revised.

Conclusions:

Recent findings necessitate a reclassification of ungulates, impacting evolutionary and biogeographical models.
The study underscores the dynamic nature of evolutionary radiations and the importance of fossil evidence.
Revised ungulate systematics offer new insights into Tertiary paleontology and the history of life.