Phylogenetics (
Greek: φυλή, φῦλον -
phylé,
phylon = tribe, clan, race + γενετικός -
genetikós = origin, source, birth) – in
biology – is the study of the
evolutionary history and relationships among individuals or groups of
organisms (e.g.
species, or
populations). These relationships are discovered through
phylogenetic inference methods that evaluate observed
heritable traits, such as
DNA sequences or
morphology under a model of evolution of these traits. The result of these analyses is a
phylogeny (also known as a
phylogenetic tree) – a hypothesis about the history of evolutionary relationships. The tips of a phylogenetic tree can be living organisms or fossils. Phylogenetic analyses have become central to understanding biodiversity, evolution, ecology, and genomes.
