Evolutionary Biologists Have Developed a Number of Different Phylogenetic Methods

question 24

Essay

Evolutionary biologists have developed a number of different phylogenetic methods to find a tree that best corresponds to a number of character states for a given group of taxa. Describe the fundamental idea behind parsimony, and explain the strengths and weaknesses of this method.

---

Definitions:

Posttranscriptional

Pertaining to modifications and processes that occur in a eukaryotic cell after transcription of DNA into RNA, affecting mRNA stability, translation, and other aspects.

Pretranscriptional

Pertaining to the biological regulatory processes that occur before the transcription of DNA to RNA.

Translational

Pertaining to the process of translating research findings or scientific discoveries into practical application or therapeutic solutions.

Initiation

First stage of translation in which the translational machinery binds an mRNA and assembles.