Macroevolution, Phylogeny and the Tree of Life
Big idea: Phylogenetic trees are testable hypotheses of common ancestry, and macroevolution examines large-scale patterns of diversification, extinction and innovation across deep time.
Learning goals
- phylogeny
- clade
- derived character
- adaptive radiation
- mass extinction
Core concepts
phylogeny
The evolutionary history and relationships of organisms or genes.
clade
An ancestor and all of its descendants, forming a monophyletic group.
derived character
A newer heritable feature shared by members of a lineage and used to diagnose a clade.
adaptive radiation
Rapid diversification of one lineage into multiple ecological forms.
mass extinction
A geologically brief interval in which an unusually large fraction of species disappears globally.