Phylogenetics and Biogeography

Flashcards covering key concepts related to phylogenetics, biogeography, and genetic variation from the lecture notes.

Phylogeny

The study of the evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of organisms.

Biogeographic Structure

The spatial distribution of biological diversity over geographic space and through geological time.

Maximum Likelihood Method

A statistical method for estimating the parameters of a statistical model, maximizing the likelihood function.

UPGMA

Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean, a method for creating phylogenetic trees based on average distances.

Coalescent Theory

A model that explains how gene variants sampled from a population may have originated from a common ancestor.

Bootstrapping

A statistical method used to estimate the sampling distribution of a statistic by resampling with replacement.

Cryptic Taxa

Species that are morphologically similar but genetically distinct, making them difficult to identify based on appearance alone.

Molecular Clock

A technique that uses the mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when two or more life forms diverged.

Effective Population Size

The size of a population based on the number of individuals that effectively contribute genes to the next generation.

Gene Flow

The transfer of genetic variation from one population to another, influencing genetic diversity.

Haplotypes

A group of genes within an organism that was inherited together from a single parent.

Vicarious Speciation

The evolutionary process where species are split by geographical barriers.

Phylogenetic Tree

A diagram that represents evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on similarities and differences.

SARS-CoV-2 Origin

The origin of the virus responsible for COVID-19, most closely associated with bats before spreading to humans.

Genetic Variation

Diversities in gene frequencies among individuals which can lead to differences in traits.

Mitochondrial DNA

DNA located in the mitochondria, often used in studies of genetic ancestry and evolution.