BIO153_Lecture_4

Page 1: Introduction to Phylogenetic Trees

  • Lecture Title: Phylogenetic Tree

  • Course: BIO153 Diversity of Organisms

  • Instructor: Ichiro Inamoto

  • Institution: University of Toronto Mississauga

Page 2: Taxonomy and Phylogeny

  • Taxonomy: Study of organisms; involves naming and grouping related organisms.

    • Nomenclature: Organizing naming schemes.

    • Classification: Grouping organisms into similar categories.

  • Phylogeny: Deduce evolutionary relationships based on classification.

    • This includes understanding taxonomy in the context of evolutionary biology.

Page 3: Taxonomy and Phylogeny Examples

  • Examples of Organisms:

    • Plants: Sycamore maple, Cactus, Fern (Kingdom: Plantae)

      • Vascular plants have tube-like structures for water transport.

    • Animals: Elephant, White-tailed deer, Canada lynx (Kingdom: Animalia)

      • Mammals nurture their young with milk.

  • Classification is based on evolutionary relationships.

Page 4: Cheetah Classification

  • Inquiry: Is the Cheetah a cat?

    • Family Felidae has retractable claws; non-retractable in Canidae (dogs).

    • Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus): Fastest terrestrial animals, can't fully retract claws, adapted for speed.

    • Questions arise on how to classify based on claw types versus evolutionary relationships.

Page 5: Cladistics Overview

  • Cladistics: Method for classifying organisms based on ancestral relationships.

    • Cheetah classified within Family Felidae due to shared ancestry with other cats.

    • Focus on evolutionary relationships over just anatomical traits.

Page 6: Phylogenetic Trees

  • Phylogenetic Tree: Visual representation of evolutionary relationships derived from taxonomy and cladistics.

    • This lecture centers around understanding these trees and their implications for classification.

Page 7: Understanding Phylogenetic Trees

  • Phylogenetic Tree of Family Felidae: Displays relationships among various cat species.

    • Includes domestic cat, dogs, cheetah, and other felids.

Page 8: Implications of the Phylogenetic Tree

  • Hypothesis Nature: Represents evolutionary relationships but may be subject to change with new findings.

    • Classification can vary based on the traits prioritized in constructing the tree.

Page 9: Basic Features of a Phylogenetic Tree

  • Branch Point: Indicates divergence from a common ancestor into different species.

    • Dichotomy: A type of branch point where a single ancestor diverges into two lineages.

    • Example: Human and Chimpanzee share a common ancestor, diverging at a branch point.

Page 10: Multiple Branch Points

  • More complex trees show more than one branch point, indicating multiple species.

    • First branch: Divergence of 'Lizards' from 'Chimpanzee/Human'.

    • Second branch: Divergence of 'Chimpanzees' from 'Humans'.

Page 11: Sister Taxa Concept

  • Root: Common ancestor for all taxa in the tree.

  • Sister Taxa: Two groups sharing a common ancestor that no other group shares, exemplified by Chimpanzees and Humans.

Page 12: Relative Nature of Sister Taxa

  • Sister Taxa: Depends on the common ancestor selected.

    • Choosing different common ancestors leads to different interpretations of relationships.

Page 13: Group Clustering

  • Grouping based on common ancestry allows clustering of Lizard, Chimpanzee, and Human, forming a sister group against other taxa.

Page 14: Sister Taxa Descriptions

  • Descriptions of sister taxa shift based on which common ancestor is chosen, impacting perceived relationships.

Page 15: Basal Taxon Description

  • Basal Taxon: Lineage that diverges early in a tree's history, e.g., Fish as the basal group in certain trees.

Page 16: Interpreting Phylogenetic Trees

  • Property 1: Shows connections without indicating degree of genetic similarity.

    • Trees can be represented in various shapes without altering meaning.

Page 17: Distinguishing Features in Trees

  • Different representations maintain the same relationships but may visually differ.

Page 18: Patterns of Descent

  • Property 2: Patterns of descent do not always align with external similarities in organisms.

  • Example: Cetaceans (whales/dolphins) are more closely related to hippopotamuses rather than seals despite superficial similarities.

Page 19: Clarifying Evolutionary Relationships

  • Property 3: Trees do not imply direct evolution from neighboring taxa.

    • They suggest common ancestry but do not indicate linear evolution, e.g., humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor rather than one evolving from the other.

Page 20: Cladograms vs. Phylograms

  • Cladograms: Basic phylogenetic trees showing connections.

  • Phylograms: Include additional information such as branch length reflecting genetic changes or time.

Page 21: Phylogram Example

  • Example phylogram detailing the timing of speciation events across millions of years, showcasing how groups diverged over time.

Page 22: Limitations of Phylogenetic Trees

  • Dichotomy and Polytomy: Speciation events sometimes can't be fully resolved due to data limitations; polytomy indicates unresolved relationships.

Page 23: Image Credits

  • Attributed sources for images related to organisms and phylogenetic trees, ensuring original contexts and licenses are respected.

Page 24: Image Credits Continued

  • Additional attributions for sourcing images used throughout the lecture.

Page 25: Image Credits Continued

  • Continuation of sourced attributions for various images within the presentation.

Page 26: Image Credits Continued

  • Final set of attributions to conclude the image credit section.