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Decoding the Cladogram Lab: A Comprehensive Guide for Students and Educators
Introduction:
Have you ever stared at a branching diagram, a seemingly chaotic web of lines and labels, and wondered what it all meant? That, my friend, is likely a cladogram. This intricate visual representation holds the key to understanding evolutionary relationships between organisms. This in-depth guide dives into the world of cladogram labs, exploring everything from the basics of cladistics to advanced techniques for constructing and interpreting cladograms. Whether you're a high school biology student tackling a lab assignment or a seasoned educator designing engaging classroom activities, this post provides a comprehensive toolkit for mastering the art of the cladogram lab. We'll unravel the complexities, offer practical tips, and equip you with the knowledge to confidently navigate this fundamental tool of evolutionary biology.
What is a Cladogram Lab?
A cladogram lab is a hands-on activity designed to teach students about phylogenetic analysis – the study of evolutionary relationships among organisms. It involves gathering data, analyzing character traits (both morphological and molecular), and constructing a cladogram to visually represent those relationships. These labs can range from simple exercises comparing a few species to complex projects involving extensive datasets and computational tools. The ultimate goal is to develop critical thinking skills, data analysis abilities, and a deeper understanding of evolutionary processes.
Understanding the Fundamentals of Cladistics:
Before diving into the lab itself, let's solidify the theoretical foundation. Cladistics, the method behind building cladograms, relies on shared derived characteristics (synapomorphies). These are features unique to a particular group of organisms and their common ancestor, differentiating them from other groups. For instance, the presence of feathers is a synapomorphy for birds, distinguishing them from reptiles. Understanding the difference between ancestral (plesiomorphic) and derived (apomorphic) characters is crucial for accurate cladogram construction. Ancestral characters are features inherited from a distant common ancestor and are not unique to a particular group.
Steps Involved in a Typical Cladogram Lab:
1. Data Collection: This involves gathering information on the characteristics of the organisms being studied. This data could be morphological (physical features like bone structure, leaf shape, etc.), molecular (DNA sequences, protein structures), or behavioral. Accuracy in data collection is paramount.
2. Character Matrix Construction: Organize the data into a character matrix. This is a table listing the organisms (taxa) as rows and the characteristics as columns. Each cell indicates whether a particular organism possesses (1) or lacks (0) a given characteristic.
3. Cladogram Construction: Several methods exist, ranging from manual construction using parsimony (choosing the simplest explanation) to using specialized software. Manual construction often involves comparing character states between organisms and grouping them based on shared derived characteristics. Software packages can handle larger datasets and perform more complex analyses.
4. Cladogram Interpretation: Once constructed, the cladogram needs careful interpretation. Each branch point (node) represents a common ancestor, and the length of the branches can sometimes (but not always) represent the evolutionary distance or time. Analyzing the relationships revealed by the cladogram allows for inferences about evolutionary history.
5. Evaluating the Cladogram: No cladogram is perfect. The accuracy depends on the quality and completeness of the data. Evaluating the cladogram involves considering alternative hypotheses, analyzing the robustness of the relationships, and identifying potential limitations of the dataset.
Choosing the Right Organisms for your Cladogram Lab:
The choice of organisms significantly impacts the complexity and learning outcomes of the lab. For beginners, focusing on a small number of closely related species simplifies the process. More advanced labs might involve comparing diverse taxa, requiring a deeper understanding of cladistics and potentially more sophisticated analytical tools. Consider the availability of data, the clarity of distinguishing characteristics, and the overall educational objectives when making your selection.
Utilizing Software for Cladogram Construction:
While manual construction is valuable for understanding the underlying principles, software packages offer significant advantages for larger datasets. Popular options include:
Mesquite: A powerful and versatile open-source program widely used in phylogenetic analysis.
PAUP (Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony): A commercial software package known for its advanced capabilities.
MEGA (Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis): A user-friendly software package suitable for both beginners and experienced users. Offers a range of phylogenetic analysis tools.
These programs automate many of the steps involved in cladogram construction, freeing up time for analysis and interpretation.
Troubleshooting Common Cladogram Lab Challenges:
Data ambiguity: Sometimes, characteristics may be ambiguous or difficult to score. Careful observation and consultation with reliable sources are crucial.
Homoplasy: This refers to the independent evolution of similar traits in unrelated organisms. Homoplasy can mislead cladistic analyses.
Incomplete data: Missing data can significantly impact the accuracy of the cladogram. Methods for handling missing data exist, but their application requires careful consideration.
Interpretational bias: Researchers can unknowingly introduce biases into their interpretations. Carefully examining the methodology and considering alternative hypotheses can mitigate this risk.
Advanced Cladogram Lab Techniques:
Molecular Phylogenetics: Utilizing DNA or protein sequence data for constructing cladograms often provides higher resolution and accuracy, particularly for closely related species.
Bayesian Inference: A statistical approach that estimates the probabilities of different phylogenetic trees, providing a measure of confidence in the results.
Maximum Likelihood: Another statistical method that evaluates the likelihood of different trees given a particular evolutionary model.
Example Cladogram Lab Project Outline:
Name: Mammalian Evolutionary Relationships
Introduction: Overview of mammalian evolution and the goals of the lab.
Chapter 1: Data Collection: Gathering morphological characteristics of selected mammals (e.g., presence of fur, teeth type, limb structure).
Chapter 2: Character Matrix Construction: Creating a matrix of the chosen characteristics for each mammal.
Chapter 3: Cladogram Construction: Manually constructing a cladogram based on the character matrix.
Chapter 4: Cladogram Interpretation: Analyzing the relationships revealed in the constructed cladogram and comparing it to established mammalian phylogenies.
Conclusion: Summary of findings, discussion of limitations, and suggestions for further investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
1. What is the difference between a cladogram and a phylogenetic tree? While both represent evolutionary relationships, phylogenetic trees often incorporate branch lengths representing evolutionary time or genetic distance, while cladograms primarily focus on branching patterns.
2. Can I use just morphological data for my cladogram? Yes, but combining morphological and molecular data usually leads to a more accurate and robust cladogram.
3. How do I deal with missing data in my character matrix? Several methods exist, including excluding taxa with missing data or using imputation techniques to estimate missing values.
4. What does parsimony mean in the context of cladogram construction? Parsimony favors the cladogram requiring the fewest evolutionary changes to explain the observed character states.
5. What software is best for constructing cladograms? The best software depends on your needs and experience level. Mesquite, PAUP, and MEGA are popular choices.
6. How can I improve the accuracy of my cladogram? Use a larger, more diverse dataset, incorporate both morphological and molecular data, and carefully consider potential sources of error.
7. What are some common mistakes students make when building cladograms? Misinterpreting character states, failing to account for homoplasy, and neglecting proper data analysis.
8. Can I use a cladogram to predict future evolutionary trends? While cladograms reveal past evolutionary relationships, predicting future trends is speculative and requires additional considerations.
9. Where can I find datasets for my cladogram lab? Numerous online databases, such as NCBI GenBank and TreeBASE, provide access to large collections of biological data.
Related Articles:
1. Phylogenetic Analysis: A Beginner's Guide: Introduces the fundamental concepts of phylogenetic analysis and tree construction.
2. Understanding Homoplasy in Phylogenetic Inference: Explains the concept of homoplasy and its impact on cladogram construction.
3. Molecular Phylogenetics: Methods and Applications: Focuses on using DNA and protein sequences in phylogenetic analysis.
4. Bayesian Inference for Phylogenetic Reconstruction: Provides a detailed explanation of Bayesian methods in phylogenetic analysis.
5. Maximum Likelihood Methods in Phylogenetics: Covers the principles and applications of maximum likelihood methods.
6. Using Mesquite for Phylogenetic Analysis: A tutorial on using the Mesquite software package.
7. Interpreting Phylogenetic Trees: A Practical Guide: Provides guidance on interpreting phylogenetic trees and extracting meaningful information.
8. The Importance of Data Quality in Phylogenetic Studies: Highlights the critical role of data quality in producing reliable phylogenetic analyses.
9. Advanced Techniques in Cladogram Construction: Explores advanced techniques, such as ancestral state reconstruction and biogeography.
| cladogram lab: Biochemistry in the Lab Benjamin F. Lasseter, 2019-09-30 Most lab manuals assume a high level of knowledge among biochemistry students, as well as a large amount of experience combining knowledge from separate scientific disciplines. Biochemistry in the Lab: A Manual for Undergraduates expects little more than basic chemistry. It explains procedures clearly, as well as giving a clear explanation of the theoretical reason for those steps. Key Features: Presents a comprehensive approach to modern biochemistry laboratory teaching, together with a complete experimental experience Includes chemical biology as its foundation, teaching readers experimental methods specific to the field Provides instructor experiments that are easy to prepare and execute, at comparatively low cost Supersedes existing, older texts with information that is adjusted to modern experimental biochemistry Is written by an expert in the field This textbook presents a foundational approach to modern biochemistry laboratory teaching together with a complete experimental experience, from protein purification and characterization to advanced analytical techniques. It has modules to help instructors present the techniques used in a time critical manner, as well as several modules to study protein chemistry, including gel techniques, enzymology, crystal growth, unfolding studies, and fluorescence. It proceeds from the simplest and most important techniques to the most difficult and specialized ones. It offers instructors experiments that are easy to prepare and execute, at comparatively low cost. |
| cladogram lab: Exploring Physical Anthropology: Lab Manual and Workbook, 4e Suzanne E Walker Pacheco, 2022-01-14 Exploring Physical Anthropology is a comprehensive, full-color lab manual intended for an introductory laboratory course in physical anthropology. It can also serve as a supplementary workbook for a lecture class, particularly in the absence of a laboratory offering. This laboratory manual enables a hands-on approach to learning about the evolutionary processes that resulted in humans through the use of numerous examples and exercises. It offers a solid grounding in the main areas of an introductory physical anthropology lab course: genetics, evolutionary forces, human osteology, forensic anthropology, comparative/functional skeletal anatomy, primate behavior, paleoanthropology, and modern human biological variation. |
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| cladogram lab: Labs for Vertebrate Zoology Erik W. A. Gergus, Gordon W. Schuett, 2000 |
| cladogram lab: Exploring Biology in the Laboratory: Core Concepts Murray P. Pendarvis, John L. Crawley, 2019-02-01 Exploring Biology in the Laboratory: Core Concepts is a comprehensive manual appropriate for introductory biology lab courses. This edition is designed for courses populated by nonmajors or for majors courses where abbreviated coverage is desired. Based on the two-semester version of Exploring Biology in the Laboratory, 3e, this Core Concepts edition features a streamlined set of clearly written activities with abbreviated coverage of the biodiversity of life. These exercises emphasize the unity of all living things and the evolutionary forces that have resulted in, and continue to act on, the diversity that we see around us today. |
| cladogram lab: Holt Biology , 2003-08 |
| cladogram lab: Mammalogy Techniques Lab Manual James M. Ryan, 2018-10-30 Get outside! A hands-on lab manual for instructors incorporating fieldwork into their courses on mammalogy. Mammals inhabit nearly every continent and every sea. They have adapted to life underground, in the frozen Arctic, the hottest deserts, and every habitat in-between. In Mammalogy Techniques Lab Manual—the only field manual devoted to training the next generation of mammalogists—biologist and educator James M. Ryan details the modern research techniques today’s professionals use to study mammals wherever they are found. Ideal for any mammalogy or wildlife biology course, this clear and practical guide aids students by getting them outside to study mammals in their natural environments. Twenty comprehensive chapters cover skull and tooth identification, radio and satellite GPS tracking, phylogeny construction, mark and recapture techniques, camera trapping, museum specimen preparation, optimal foraging, and DNA extraction, among other topics. Each chapter includes several exercises with step-by-step instructions for students to collect and analyze their own data, along with background information, downloadable sample data sets (to use when it is not practical to be out in the field), and detailed descriptions of useful open-source software tools. This pragmatic resource provides students with real-world experience practicing the complex techniques used by modern wildlife biologists. With more than 60 applied exercises to choose from in this unique manual, students will quickly acquire the scientific skills essential for a career working with mammals. |
| cladogram lab: AP Biology Prep Plus 2018-2019 Kaplan Test Prep, 2017-12-05 Kaplan's AP Biology Prep Plus 2018-2019 is completely restructured and aligned with the current AP exam, giving you concise review of the most-tested content to quickly build your skills and confidence. With bite-sized, test-like practice sets and customizable study plans, our guide fits your schedule. Personalized Prep. Realistic Practice. Two full-length Kaplan practice exams with comprehensive explanations Online test scoring tool to convert your raw score into a 1–5 scaled score Pre- and post-quizzes in each chapter so you can monitor your progress Customizable study plans tailored to your individual goals and prep time Online quizzes and workshops for additional practice Focused content review on the essential concepts to help you make the most of your study time Test-taking strategies designed specifically for AP Biology Expert Guidance We know the test—our AP experts make sure our practice questions and study materials are true to the exam We know students—every explanation is written to help you learn, and our tips on the exam structure and question formats will help you avoid surprises on Test Day We invented test prep—Kaplan (www.kaptest.com) has been helping students for 80 years, and more than 95% of our students get into their top-choice schools |
| cladogram lab: Digital Zoology Version 2.0 Jon G. Houseman, 2003 |
| cladogram lab: Digital Zoology Jon Houseman, 2001 This CD-ROM provides students in the whole animal Biology courses such as General Zoology, Invertebrate Zoology and Vertebrate Zoology with an interactive guide to the specimens and materials that they will be studying in their laboratory and lecture sessions. Lab modules are the biggest components of Digital Zoology, and each contain illustrations, photographs and annotations of the major structure of organisms and microscope slides commercially available from the suppliers used by high schools and universities. Lab modules are combined with explanations of the various animal groups and interactive cladograms that allow students to investigate the major evolutionary events that have given rise to the tremendous diversity of animals that we find on the planet. |
| cladogram lab: AP Biology Prep Plus 2020 & 2021 Kaplan Test Prep, 2020-07-07 Kaplan's AP Biology Prep Plus 2020 & 2021 is revised to align with the latest exam. This edition features hundreds of practice questions in the book, complete explanations for every question, and a concise review of high-yield content to quickly build your skills and confidence. Test-like practice comes in 3 full-length exams, 16 pre-chapter quizzes, and 16 post-chapter quizzes. Customizable study plans ensure that you make the most of the study time you have. We’re so confident that AP Biology Prep Plus offers the guidance you need that we guarantee it: after studying with our online resources and book, you'll score higher on the AP exam—or you'll get your money back. To access your online resources, go to kaptest.com/moreonline and follow the directions. You'll need your book handy to complete the process. The College Board has announced that the 2021 exam dates for AP Biology will be May 14, May 27, or June 11, depending on the testing format. (Each school will determine the testing format for their students.) Expert Guidance We know the test—our AP experts make sure our practice questions and study materials are true to the exam. We know students—every explanation is written to help you learn, and our tips on the exam structure and question formats will help you avoid surprises on Test Day. We invented test prep—Kaplan (kaptest.com) has been helping students for 80 years, and 9 out of 10 Kaplan students get into one or more of their top-choice colleges. |
| cladogram lab: Emerging Infectious Diseases , 2016-07 |
| cladogram lab: Chapter Resource 14 Class of Organisms Biology Holt Rinehart & Winston, Holt, Rinehart and Winston Staff, 2004 |
| cladogram lab: Introduction to Bioinformatics using Action Labs Jean-Louis Lassez, Ryan Rossi, Stephen Sheel, 2016-02-24 Bioinformatics is the application of computational techniques and tools to analyze and manage biological data. This book provides an introduction to bioinformatics through the use of Action Labs. These labs allow students to get experience using real data and tools to solve difficult problems. The book comes with supplementary software tools and papers. The labs use data from Breast Cancer, Liver Disease, Diabetes, SARS, HIV, Extinct Organisms, and many others. The book has been written for first or second year computer science, mathematics, and biology students. The supplementary software and papers can be found at http: //www.kibazen.com/bin |
| cladogram lab: Evaluation of preharvest and postharvest factors on forage crop quality, physiology, and ensiling characteristics Siran Wang, Qing Zhang, Lin Sun, Huili Pang, Ping Li, Nazir Ahmad Khan, 2024-05-27 |
| cladogram lab: Gut Microbial Response to Host Metabolic Phenotypes Jie Yin, Yong Su, Hui Han, 2022-02-23 |
| cladogram lab: Phylogenies and the Comparative Method in Animal Behavior Emília P. Martins, 1996 In the last ten years, the comparative method has been revolutionized by modern statistical ways of incorporating phylogenies into the design and analysis of comparative studies. The results of this revolution are particularly important in the study of animal behavior, which has relied on interspecific comparisons to infer universal trends and evolutionary patterns. The chapters of this edited volume consider the impact of modern phylogenetic comparative methods on the study of animal behavior and discuss the main issues that need to be considered in design and analysis of a comparative study, considers possible differences between the evolution of behavior and the evolution of morphology, and reviews how phylogenetic comparative studies have been used in certain areas of behavioral research. |
| cladogram lab: Genomes, Evolution, and Culture Rene J. Herrera, Ralph Garcia-Bertrand, Francisco M. Salzano, 2016-05-02 This book combines recent information and discoveries in the field of human molecular biology and human molecular evolution. It provides an interdisciplinary approach drawing together data from various diverse disciplines to address both the more classical anthropological content and the current more contemporary molecular focus of courses. Chapters include a history of human evolutionary genetics; the human genome structure and function; population structure and variability; gene and genomic dynamics; culture; health and disease; bioethics; future. |
| cladogram lab: AP® Biology Crash Course, Book + Online Michael D'Alessio, 2020-01-24 AP® Biology Crash Course® - updated for today's exam A Higher Score in Less Time! At REA, we invented the quick-review study guide for AP® exams. A decade later, REA’s Crash Course® remains the top choice for AP® students who want to make the most of their study time and earn a high score. Here’s why more AP® teachers and students turn to REA’s AP® Biology Crash Course®: Targeted Review - Study Only What You Need to Know. REA’s all-new 3rd edition addresses all the latest test revisions. Our Crash Course® is based on an in-depth analysis of the revised AP® Biology course description outline and sample AP® test questions. We cover only the information tested on the exam, so you can make the most of your valuable study time. Expert Test-taking Strategies and Advice. Written by a veteran AP® Biology teacher and test development expert, the book gives you the topics and critical context that will matter most on exam day. Crash Course® relies on the author’s extensive analysis of the test’s structure and content. By following her advice, you can boost your score. Practice questions – a mini-test in the book, a full-length exam online. Are you ready for your exam? Try our focused practice set inside the book. Then go online to take our full-length practice exam. You’ll get the benefits of timed testing, detailed answers, and automatic scoring that pinpoints your performance based on the official AP® exam topics – so you'll be confident on test day. Whether you’re cramming for the exam or looking to recap and reinforce your teacher’s lessons, Crash Course® is the study guide every AP® student needs. |
| cladogram lab: 5 Steps to a 5: AP Biology 2018 Mark Anestis, Kellie Ploeger Cox, 2017-07-28 Get ready to ace your AP Biology Exam with this easy-to-follow, multi-platform study guide 5 Steps to a 5: AP Biology introduces an easy to follow, effective 5-step study plan to help you build the skills, knowledge, and test-taking confidence you need to achieve a high score on the exam. This wildly popular test prep guide matches the latest course syllabus and the latest exam. You'll get online help, five full-length practice tests (two in the book and three online), detailed answers to each question, study tips, information on how the exam is scores, and much more. Because this guide is accessible in print and digital formats, you can study online, via your mobile device, straight from the book, or any combination of the three. 5 Steps to a 5: AP Biology 2018 features: • New: Access to the entire Cross-Platform Prep Course in Biology • 5 Practice Exams (2 in the book + 3 online) • An interactive, customizable AP Planner app to help you organize your time • Powerful analytics you can use to assess your test readiness • Flashcards, games, and more |
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| cladogram lab: Dave A. Schoch, 2008-01-01 The modern theory of Evolution stands upon certain assumptions, and has for over 150 years. It will no doubt surprise many to discover that these assumptions are unwarranted and unjustified by the evidence and in some instances even antagonistic to the evidence, therefore making them illegitimate. This book describes these assumptions, demonstrates why they are unwarranted and illegitimate, and asks why they have not been dropped as the Scientific Method of research demands. This work stands utilizing science alone without reference to religious books, and allows the facts to speak for themselves. |
| cladogram lab: The Assumptions Behind the Theory of Evolution Dave Schoch, 2014-07-08 The theory of evolution is based solidly upon certain assumptions. This would not be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that most of these assumptions are not warranted by the facts of nature, and therefore have not (and can not ever) be codified as facts of nature. Today these unwarranted, and therefore illegitimate assumptions, have found their way into populating not only our textbooks, but also mainstream America, as confirmed facts of nature, when they are not. This book exposes numerous unwarranted and illegitimate evolutionary assumptions pushed upon the unsuspecting public as codified facts of science when they are not codified facts of nature. According to Dr. Jerry Bergman, this is an excellent book...it promises to be a very important book in this area (referring to the creation/evolution controversy. |
| cladogram lab: Articulating Dinosaurs Brian Noble, 2016-01-01 In this remarkable interdisciplinary study, anthropologist Brian Noble traces how dinosaurs and their natural worlds are articulated into being by the action of specimens and humans together. Following the complex exchanges of palaeontologists, museums specialists, film- and media-makers, science fiction writers, and their diverse publics, he witnesses how fossil remains are taken from their partial state and re-composed into astonishingly precise, animated presences within the modern world, with profound political consequences. Articulating Dinosaurs examines the resurrecting of two of the most iconic and gendered of dinosaurs. First Noble traces the emergence of Tyrannosaurus rex (the king of the tyrant lizards) in the early twentieth-century scientific, literary, and filmic cross-currents associated with the American Museum of Natural History under the direction of palaeontologist and eugenicist Henry Fairfield Osborn. Then he offers his detailed ethnographic study of the multi-media, model-making, curatorial, and laboratory preparation work behind the Royal Ontario Museum's ground-breaking 1990s exhibit of Maiasaura (the good mother lizard). Setting the exhibits at the AMNH and the ROM against each other, Noble is able to place the political natures of T. rex and Maiasaura into high relief and to raise vital questions about how our choices make a difference in what comes to count as nature. An original and illuminating study of science, culture, and museums, Articulating Dinosaurs is a remarkable look at not just how we visualize the prehistoric past, but how we make it palpable in our everyday lives. |
| cladogram lab: Oar Feet and Opal Teeth Charles B. Miller, 2023 Oar Feet and Opal Teeth is about free-living copepods and the copepodologists who study them. Copepods are a subclass of the arthropod class Crustacea. They act as dominant herbivores and small predators in the planktonic ecosystems of oceans, estuaries, and lakes. Copepods are likely the largest assemblage of complex animals on earth. These strikingly beautiful small crustaceans are of wide ecological significance and as complex and precisely adapted as insects. Yet few biologists and others interested in animals are familiar with them. In Oar Feet and Opal Teeth, Charles B. Miller introduces these small crustaceans and the scientists devoting their careers to revealing their biology. In twenty-one chapters, Miller details the defining features and general biology of copepods. They typically have four or five pairs of oar-like feet to drive escape jumps. Teeth on mandible extensions are formed with siliceous minerals akin to opal. The first two chapters of the book closely examine the oar feet and mouth parts. Subsequent chapters describe internal anatomy, taxonomy, and many aspects of copepod natural history. Recent evolutionary insights about them are reviewed; those are based on molecular genetics and reach back to the Cambrian explosion. Oar Feet and Opal Teeth includes over twenty biographical sketches of copepodologists from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Among them, Russell Hopcroft, a premier photographer of plankton, has full-color copepod images featured throughout the book. Jeannette Yen learned how Euchaeta marina detects prey and studies how ready-for-mating copepods find each other. Shinichi Uye of Hiroshima University studied the production by copepods of resting eggs and their delayed development. Grace Wyngaard is studying the special embryonic cell-divisions of some lake copepods for eliminating junk DNA. Miller based most of the profiles featured in the book on personal interviews he conducted. |
| cladogram lab: Microbiology of Ethnic Fermented Foods and Alcoholic Beverages of the World Jyoti Prakash Tamang, Wilhelm Heinrich Holzapfel, Giovanna E. Felis, Dong Hwa Shin, 2019-11-04 |
| cladogram lab: Increasing Student Comprehension of Evolution Through Laboratory Investigations and Simulations Steven W. McClintock, 2008 |
| cladogram lab: Molecular Ecology and Evolution: Approaches and Applications B. Schierwater, B. Streit, G.P. Wagner, R. DeSalle, 2013-06-29 The past 25 years have witnessed a revolution in the way ecologists and evolutionary biologists approach their disciplines. Modern molecular techniques are now reshaping the spectrum of questions that can be addressed while studying the mechanisms and consequences of the ecology and evolution of living organisms. Molecular Ecology and Evolution: Approaches and Applications describes, from a molecular perspective, several methodological and technical approaches used in the fields of ecology, evolution, population biology, molecular systematics, conservation genetics, and development. Modern techniques are introduced, and older, more classic ones refined. The advantages, limitations, and potentials of each are discussed in detail, and thereby illustrate the widening range of cross-field research and applications which this modern technology is stimulating. This book will serve as an important textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, and as a key reference work for researchers |
| cladogram lab: Maydica , 1990 Journal devoted to maize and allied species. |
| cladogram lab: The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs David E. Fastovsky, David B. Weishampel, 2005-02-07 This 2005 edition of The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs is a unique, comprehensive treatment of this fascinating group of organisms. It is a detailed survey of dinosaur origins, their diversity, and their eventual extinction. The book can easily be used as a teaching textbook for a class, but it is also written as a series of readable, entertaining essays covering important and timely topics appealing to non-specialists and all dinosaur enthusiasts: birds as 'living dinosaurs', the new feathered dinosaurs from China, 'warm-bloodedness'. Along the way, the reader learns about dinosaur functional morphology, physiology, and systematics using cladistic methodology - in short, how professional paleontologists and dinosaur experts go about their work, and why they find it so rewarding. The book is spectacularly illustrated by John Sibbick, a world-famous illustrator of dinosaurs, commissioned exclusively for this book. |
| cladogram lab: Evolution Challenges Karl S. Rosengren, 2012-04-25 This book goes beyond the science versus religion dispute to ask why evolution is so often rejected as a legitimate scientific fact, focusing on a wide range of cognitive, socio-cultural, and motivational factors that make concepts such as evolution difficult to grasp. |
| cladogram lab: CliffsNotes AP Biology 2021 Exam Phillip E. Pack, 2020-08-04 CliffsNotes AP Biology 2021 Exam gives you exactly what you need to score a 5 on the exam: concise chapter reviews on every AP Biology subject, in-depth laboratory investigations, and full-length model practice exams to prepare you for the May 2021 exam. Revised to even better reflect the new AP Biology exam, this test-prep guide includes updated content tailored to the May 2021 exam. Features of the guide focus on what AP Biology test-takers need to score high on the exam: Reviews of all subject areas In-depth coverage of the all-important laboratory investigations Two full-length model practice AP Biology exams Every review chapter includes review questions and answers to pinpoint problem areas. |
| cladogram lab: Statistics in Molecular Biology and Genetics Françoise Seillier-Moiseiwitsch, 1999 |
| cladogram lab: Phylogeny and Conservation Andy Purvis, John L. Gittleman, Thomas M. Brooks, 2005-09-22 Phylogeny is a potentially powerful tool for conserving biodiversity. This book explores how it can be used to tackle questions of great practical importance and urgency for conservation. Using case studies from many different taxa and regions of the world, the volume evaluates how useful phylogeny is in understanding the processes that have generated today's diversity and the processes that now threaten it. The urgency with which conservation decisions have to be made as well as the need for the best possible decisions make this volume of great value to researchers, practitioners and policy-makers. |
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| cladogram lab: Proceedings of the Third International Strawberry Symposium H. A. Th. van der Scheer, Filip Lieten, Jan Dijkstra, 1997 |
