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The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

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.

What is Evolutionary History?

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

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

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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Published on: May 7, 2016

Sequential trait evolution did not drive deep-time diversification in sharks.

Alexis F P Marion¹, Fabien L Condamine¹, Guillaume Guinot¹

¹Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|May 15, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Sharks evolved sequentially, with an ancestral coastal, lecithotrophic ancestor. Contrary to expectations, key traits did not drive shark diversification, suggesting other factors are more influential in their evolutionary history.

Keywords:

concealed trait elasmobranchs hidden states molecular dating phylogenetic comparative methods trait-dependent diversification

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Last Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Dissection and Flat-mounting of the Threespine Stickleback Branchial Skeleton

Published on: May 7, 2016

Microinjection for Transgenesis and Genome Editing in Threespine Sticklebacks

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Published on: May 13, 2016

Manipulation of Gene Function in Mexican Cavefish

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Published on: April 22, 2019

Area of Science:

Macroevolutionary biology
Comparative genomics
Marine vertebrate evolution

Background:

Understanding trait evolution and its impact on diversification is crucial in ecology and evolution.
Sharks, vital marine vertebrates since the Mesozoic, remain underexplored in macroevolutionary studies.
Previous research has not fully investigated trait evolution or its influence on shark diversity patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

To reconstruct the most extensive time-calibrated, species-level phylogeny of sharks.
To compile a comprehensive database of ecological and biological traits for sharks.
To investigate trait evolution and its impact on diversification patterns in sharks.

Main Methods:

Reconstruction of a time-calibrated, species-level shark phylogeny.
Compilation of an exhaustive database of ecological (diet, habitat) and biological (reproduction, body length) traits.
Application of advanced models of evolution and diversification, including hidden trait analyses.

Main Results:

Support for sequential models of trait evolution in sharks.
Estimation of a small to medium-sized, lecithotrophic, coastal-dwelling most recent common ancestor for extant sharks.
No support for trait-dependent diversification across examined traits, challenging prior assumptions.

Conclusions:

The role of specific traits in shaping shark diversification may have been overestimated.
Future macroevolutionary studies should explore alternative drivers of diversification in sharks.
This research provides a foundation for understanding shark evolutionary history and diversification dynamics.