Essential Evolutionary Biology: Unraveling Relationships Between Species
“Words from Species” introduces fundamental evolutionary concepts used to comprehend relationships between species. Concepts like homoplasy, paralogy, and orthology are explained to highlight instances of shared and unique characteristics among species. Key terms such as symplesiomorphy, autapomorphy, synapomorphy, plesiomorphy, and apomorphy are defined and illustrated, providing a framework for understanding ancestral and derived traits. The concept of the molecular clock is also explored, emphasizing its significance in evolutionary time estimation and lineage divergence studies. These concepts play a crucial role in species identification and classification, allowing biologists to accurately determine relationships and trace the evolutionary history of different species.
