Phylogenetics exercise using inherited human traits

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Evolutionary Biology
• Human Genetics

Background:

• Morphological traits offer insights into human evolutionary history.
• Traditional methods may not fully capture evolutionary relationships.
• Bioinformatics provides powerful tools for analyzing biological data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a bioinformatics laboratory exercise focused on inherited human morphological traits.
• To teach students how to use morphological characters for studying human evolutionary history.
• To introduce fundamental bioinformatics laboratory skills and group work dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing parsimony analysis to reconstruct evolutionary history from morphological data.
• Incorporating both pen-and-paper and computer-based approaches for data analysis.
• Structuring the exercise in two sessions covering data collection, parsimony analysis, and matrix analysis.

Main Results:

• Students gain practical experience in bioinformatics laboratory work.
• The exercise highlights challenges in biological data acquisition.
• Participants develop essential group working skills, including task distribution.

Conclusions:

• The exercise effectively teaches human evolutionary history using morphological traits and parsimony.
• It successfully introduces students to bioinformatics principles and collaborative learning.
• The adaptable format is suitable for both undergraduate biology majors and adult education.