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

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.

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.

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...

Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes

Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes

The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...

Convergent Evolution

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Early to Middle Holocene Hunter-Fisher-Gatherers From the Green Sahara (Gobero, Niger): Dental Evidence for Regional African Affinities.

American journal of biological anthropology·2026

Same author

Scimitar-crested <i>Spinosaurus</i> species from the Sahara caps stepwise spinosaurid radiation.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Duck-billed dinosaur fleshy midline and hooves reveal terrestrial clay-template "mummification".

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025

Same author

Wet Lab Protocols Matter: Choice of DNA Extraction and Library Preparation Protocols Bias Ancient Oral Microbiome Recovery.

Molecular ecology resources·2025

Same author

Diving dinosaurs? Caveats on the use of bone compactness and pFDA for inferring lifestyle.

PloS one·2024

Same author

<i>Spinosaurus</i> is not an aquatic dinosaur.

eLife·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 10, 2025

A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts

A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts

Published on: February 5, 2014

Comparative cladistics.

Paul C Sereno¹

¹Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1027 E. 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.

Cladistics : the International Journal of the Willi Hennig Society

|December 9, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces new methods for comparing morphological data in cladistics. These tools help researchers understand, locate, and synthesize character data for more robust evolutionary analyses.

More Related Videos

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

Published on: July 11, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 10, 2025

A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts

A Practical Guide to Phylogenetics for Nonexperts

Published on: February 5, 2014

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Using Phylogenetic Analysis to Investigate Eukaryotic Gene Origin

Published on: August 14, 2018

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles

Published on: July 11, 2025

Area of Science:

Systematic Biology
Phylogenetic Analysis
Morphological Data

Background:

Current methods for comparing cladistic hypotheses lack transparency in data handling.
Researchers face challenges in accessing, organizing, and comparing morphological character data.
Existing approaches hinder effective synthesis of data from competing hypotheses.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop standardized terminology, methods, and indices for compiling and comparing morphological character data.
To enable researchers to effectively analyze and contrast data between different cladistic hypotheses.
To identify and quantify key factors influencing discrepancies in cladistic results, such as character selection and scoring.

Main Methods:

Outline of requisite terminology for morphological data.
Description of novel methods and indices for data compilation and comparison.
Focus on character selection and character-state scoring as critical factors.

Main Results:

Provides a framework for understanding the origin, authorship, and structure of character data.
Facilitates efficient location and collation of previously published character data.
Enables effective comparison of character data across competing cladistic hypotheses.

Conclusions:

The proposed methods and terminology enhance the ability to compile and compare morphological data.
Standardized approaches can isolate and measure critical factors like character selection and scoring.
Implementation with software can overcome long-standing limitations in morphology-based cladistics data synthesis.