Diversification In Chameleons

Initially, Faith and Surovell eliminate 4 genera from the group because their information was largely gathered from a source known as the FAUNMAP database, which maps the distribution of mammal species in the last 40,000 years (Faith and Surovell, 2009). In addition to the FAUNMAP database, they also referenced A Requiem for North American Overkill for accurate and concurred dates (Grayson and Meltzer, 2003). They organized data of the 31 genera by number of fossil occurrences and radiocarbon dates that occurred in the terminal time frame. Through this they were able to derive which genera terminal dates were highly reliable and which had mediocre reliability (Faith and Surovell, 2009). In the first simulation called the continental simulation, all 1,955 fossil occurrences are randomly assigned a before or after the 12,000 radiocarbon years before present (BP) date based on the frequency of genera termination dates in the extensive fossil record (Faith and Surovell, 2009). This is done twice to account for radiocarbon dates that received mediocre evaluation scores in the second trial. The second simulation is a biogeographic simulation where fossil occurrences are randomly assigned to one or more of the seven distinct geographic zones based on abundance of fossils found in the area (Faith and

Over the last several years, evolution has been playing an increasingly important role in determining how various species are evolving. This is because ecology will have an impact on how quickly a particular organism is able to adapt (with: the unique challenges for a particular environment). To determine the effect that this is having requires carefully examining different species over the course of many years. This will be accomplished by comparing these changes on Darwin and Wallace Islands. Once this occurs, is when specific insights will be provided that are highlighting the underlying challenges affecting the development of organisms. This is the point that these transformations will be evident among the various life forms. (Fasolo, 2011, pp. 53 68)

Anolis as a Model Organism. Anolis is a primary example used in evolutionary studies in diversification. Nicholson et al. (2005) show that their existence on the islands has resulted from single colonization events (p. 935). After a population settles on an island, the lizards begin to specialize in habitats and fill unoccupied niches. Subpopulations that correspond to each niche

5. According to your data, which two species that you identified diverged the longest time ago? Staph Aureus and Strep mutans

By using DNA sequencing software and using comparative DNA alignment programs, scientists can piece together where the differences and similarities align and the percentage of identical DNA between two species. Another method of classifying these gene-swapping organisms is to alter the method of vertical genomics and shift to a new form of lateral genomics (Koonin et al. 2001). A method using vertical, linear genomics alone will not provide enough resources to clearly assign an organism to a taxonomic group. Also, scientists can look at gene loss over time as a method to group these organisms (Koonin et al. 2001). If scientists would rather stick with similarities to define a taxonomic group, the use of genomic instruments can provide a better picture of which genes are highly conserved between organisms of the same group (Doolittle 1999). Researchers have begun to employ this method as the means for best completing a phylogenetic tree. Using alignments of single copy genes conserved in the genome allows for scientists to achieve that vertical pattern of phylogeny that can be lost when focusing on the amount of transferred genes between groups (Lang et al. 2013).

The group discovered is more closely related to anteaters than to the other sloths (Document B). Though all of the groups (populations A-D and the anteaters), trace back to one common point, the newly discovered population of sloths is closer to anteaters than it is to the other three populations of sloths. This difference even is evident on the genetic level. The team geologist recorded that the new population shares “little to no common genes with other populations” of sloths in the region (Document E). Therefore, the new group is not closely related to the preexisting

Phylogeography is a field of study that implements biogeography and genetics to understand the geographic distribution of a species. It is concerned with historical principles and processes that influence evolution and speciation. The tiger is an evolutionary wonder; it is a prime example of the responsiveness that some species have to changing climatic conditions. The tiger once had the largest geographic distribution of all cat species; subspecies adaptations allowed them to live in a large range of habitats throughout the Asian continent making it a perfect candidate for the study of phylogeography. This review will examine the evolutionary history of the tiger and will explain how the species was affected by climatic fluctuations and biogeographic processes during the Plestocene epoch.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham is a science fiction novel that sets place in the future long after a nuclear holocaust has devastated large areas of the world. The stories focal point is on the people in a group of highly intellectual people that are compelled to leave and go to the story calls “The Fringes”. This is a place where people who do not fit God’s true image go. What this means is, is if you have any type of deviation, you will be considered abnormal. The novel is written in first person and told by the character David Strorm. David is one of the advanced children. The story takes the reader through David’s life and the things that happen in his life throughout the entire course of the novel. The Chrysalids expresses the precise

One thing that is very obvious from looking at the maps is that the ecological niche for Neanderthals is reduced, but it is also apparent that Neanderthal niches and AMH overlap each other. The map shows an AMH expansion while the Neanderthals show a contraction. The findings state that there should be no reason for the Neanderthal niches to have been reduced as the temperature was warm and favorable at the end of the H4 event. The final map shows an AMH rapid expansion after H4 caused and a reduction in Neanderthal ecological niches across Europe. The scientists suspect that the AMH expansion and the Neanderthal contraction are related. It goes further on to say that both species had contact with each other which allowed for genetic exchanges. The new findings contradict the theory that Neanderthals went extinct due to climate changes, but rather it was the AMH expansion that led to a completion between the two species that resulted in the extinction of the

Evolution is a change in genes of a population over time. Speciation is a process of gene changes which causes one population to become two unique populations. Speciation can be illustrated using the Lemurs of Madagascar as an example. Evidence suggests that Lemurs originated in Africa before separating to Madagascar where they then underwent speciation and became a now minimum of 50 species of lemur (Berkeley, 2015). This occurred as previous to the continental drift Madagascar was attached to Africa and therefore did not move a far distance away. Whilst there is no evidence which suggests that lemurs were on Madagascar before the separation there is some which represents that a lemur travelled to the island after

Although only about half of the Lucilia species listed as valid by Aubertin (1933) were included, these results strongly suggest that L. sericata and L. cuprina are indeed sister species. All of the Bayesian inference analyses (Figs 1–3) indicate that L. sericata and L. cuprina are sister taxa with strong support from the nuclear gene (28S & Per) and total data (28S, Per & COI) trees and weaker support from the COI gene alone. Lucilia cuprina is paraphyletic (Fig. 2) with respect to L. sericata in the mitochondrial gene (COI) tree, as has been shown previously (using the same sequences but weaker auxiliary taxon sampling) to be the result of introgressive hybridisation between these two species (Williams & Villet, 2013). In another study, the nuclear gene elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α) did not recover L. sericata and L. cuprina as sister-species (McDonagh & Stevens, 2011), but the clade containing L. sericata was poorly resolved and thus the conclusion was not well supported. In the same study, the 28S and COI gene trees both recovered L. sericata and L. cuprina as sister species with strong support (McDonagh & Stevens, 2011).

After the sequences of the eight species were aligned, they were used to create a “Maximum Likelihood Estimate of Substitution

In the case of ring species, natural selection and sexual selection each play a role in the divergence of ring species. Selective pressures allowed one phenotype to survive better than others in a certain area; sexual selection could cause divergence because organisms choose mates based on phenotypes. In the case of salamanders, natural selection affected divergence because organisms with certain coloration survived better in coastal or inland environments. In warblers, sexual selection and natural selection seem to play a part in the divergence of the ring species, as forest density and migration distance is variable and affects survival of the species. Molecular and morphological evidence can be used to support multiple species by showing

Evolutionary changes can be both big and small. Some evolutionary changes do not create new species, but result in changes at the

In conclusion, species are evolving to the climate change but not the ways they should to survive in the next couple years. Species are moving to new parts of the planet to survive giving the species distribution but when the climate change catches up with it will they be able to evolve so they can continue to survive in the area. Since the climate is changing their behaviours making some species breed sooner than normal; making the diversity of the species change for an increase in the diversity. These are only two out of many ways to how climate change is impacting the distribution and diversity of