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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 kingdom.

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.

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...

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.

Synteny and Evolution

Synteny and Evolution

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...

Speciation Rates

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Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

Framework Phylogeny, Evolution and Complex Diversification of Chinese Oaks.

Jia Yang¹, Yu-Fan Guo¹, Xiao-Dan Chen¹

¹College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China.

Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

|August 23, 2020

Summary

Chinese oak (Quercus) evolution reveals distinct diversification patterns. Phylogeny supports two subgenera and four sections, with divergence driven by Tertiary tectonic and climate shifts.

Keywords:

Quercus evolution morphological divergence phylogeny rapid radiation

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A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts

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Published on: February 5, 2014

Area of Science:

Botany
Evolutionary Biology
Phylogenetics

Background:

Oaks (Quercus L.) are crucial models for studying plant diversity.
Understanding the evolutionary history of Chinese oaks is vital for biodiversity research.

Purpose of the Study:

To establish a phylogenetic framework for Chinese oaks.
To investigate the evolutionary history and diversification patterns of the Chinese oak lineage.
To correlate diversification rates with phenotypic evolution.

Main Methods:

Integrated sequence data from five chloroplast and two nuclear loci for 50 Chinese oak species.
Phylogenetic analyses to reconstruct evolutionary relationships.
Diversification simulations to assess evolutionary shifts and phenotypic turnover.

Main Results:

The phylogeny supports two subgenera (Quercus and Cerris) and four infrageneric sections (Quercus, Cerris, Ilex, and Cyclobalanopsis).
Key divergence events occurred during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs.
Section Quercus experienced rapid species radiation in the late Miocene.
Negative correlations were found between lineage diversification and phenotypic turnover.

Conclusions:

The proposed infrageneric phylogeny aligns with recent classifications of the Quercus genus.
Tectonic activity and climate change during the Tertiary period likely drove the evolution and diversification of Chinese oaks.
Complex interactions exist between species evolution and morphological divergence in Chinese oaks.