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Related Concept Videos

Phylogeny01:23

Phylogeny

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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 kingdom.
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Phylogenetic Trees03:21

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Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

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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...
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Microbial Phylogeny01:28

Microbial Phylogeny

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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,...
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Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

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John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin
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Mesoamerican tree squirrels evolution (Rodentia: Sciuridae): a molecular phylogenetic analysis.

Federico Villalobos, Gustavo Gutierrez-Espeleta

    Revista De Biologia Tropical
    |August 9, 2014
    PubMed
    Summary

    Phylogenetic analysis reveals the genus Sciurus is paraphyletic, with Mesoamerican tree squirrels forming a distinct clade. This study clarifies relationships within neotropical tree squirrels using molecular data.

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    Area of Science:

    • Zoology
    • Molecular Phylogenetics
    • Evolutionary Biology

    Background:

    • The tribe Sciurini includes several genera of tree squirrels, but phylogenetic relationships within the genus Sciurus, particularly among Mesoamerican species, remain incompletely understood.
    • Previous studies have only partially resolved the evolutionary history of Sciurus, leaving key relationships, especially in Central America, undetermined.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the phylogenetic relationships among Mesoamerican tree squirrels using molecular data.
    • To clarify the taxonomic status and evolutionary history of species within the genus Sciurus and related genera.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of publicly available molecular sequence data (12S, 16S, CYTB mitochondrial genes, IRBP nuclear gene) combined with new sequences from four unsampled Mesoamerican Sciurus species.
    • Phylogenetic reconstruction using a Bayesian multispecies coalescence model applied to multilocus and single-locus (CYTB) datasets.

    Main Results:

    • Neotropical tree squirrels form a monophyletic clade.
    • The genus Sciurus was found to be paraphyletic, with Microsciurus species nested within it.
    • A distinct Mesoamerican clade was identified, comprising S. aureogaster, S. granatensis, and S. variegatoides, showing a sister relationship with South American Sciurus species.

    Conclusions:

    • The phylogenetic analysis supports a close evolutionary relationship among Mesoamerican Sciurus species.
    • The findings corroborate previous evidence for the polyphyly of Microsciurus and the paraphyly of Syntheosciurus.
    • This research refines our understanding of Sciurini systematics, particularly the evolutionary history of tree squirrels in the Americas.