What is Phylogeny?
[[File:Monophyletic.svg|thumb|right|230px|]] [[File:Spindle diagram.jpg|thumb|right|This type of diagram shows geological periods and relative abundance.]] A '''phylogeny''' is a proposal of how organisms are related by their [[evolution]]ary history.<ref>King R.C. Stansfield W.D. & Mulligan P.K. 2006. ''A dictionary of genetics'', 7th ed. Oxford.</ref><sup>p336</sup> It is based on the [[evidence]] that all living things are related by [[common descent]]. The [[evidence]] for phylogeny comes from [[palaeontology]], [[comparative anatomy]], and [[DNA]] [[sequence analysis]]. The main product of '''phylogenetics''' is a '''phylogenetic tree''' or [[tree of life (biology)|tree of life]]. This is a diagram showing a pattern of ancestor/descendent relationships. Information may be related to [[Historical geology|geological period]]s or estimated dates. A [[biological classification]] is another type of product. == References == {{Reflist}} [[Category:Evolutionary biology]] [[Category:Taxonomy]]