"Molecular evolution is the process of change in the sequence composition of cellular molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins across generations."
The study of the evolution of genes and proteins.
Phylogenetics: The study of evolutionary relationships among different organisms based on similarities and differences in their DNA sequences.
Molecular clocks: The use of genetic data to estimate the time of divergence between different species or lineages.
Genome size and complexity: How the size and complexity of genomes evolve across different organisms, from viruses to humans.
Horizontal gene transfer: The transfer of genes between different organisms, which can play a role in evolution across species barriers.
Genetic drift: The random fluctuations in gene frequencies that occur in small populations, which can lead to changes in the genetic makeup of a population over time.
Natural selection: The process by which advantageous traits are more likely to be passed on to future generations, leading to adaptive evolution.
Neutral theory of molecular evolution: The idea that most genetic variation at the molecular level is neutral and does not affect an organism's fitness.
Coevolution: The process by which two or more species evolve in response to each other's evolutionary changes.
Population genetics: The study of how genetic variation is distributed within and among populations, and how it changes over time.
Adaptive radiation: The diversification of a single ancestral lineage into many different species, often in response to ecological opportunities or habitat changes.
Synonymous substitution: This is a type of molecular evolution where there is a change in the nucleotide sequence of a gene or a DNA molecule that does not alter the amino acid sequence of the protein that is produced by the gene.
Non-synonymous substitution: This is a type of molecular evolution where there is a change in the nucleotide sequence of a gene or a DNA molecule that leads to a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein that is produced by the gene.
Insertions and deletions: This is a type of molecular evolution where there is a change in the length of DNA molecules due to the insertion or deletion of nucleotides in the gene sequence.
Gene duplication: This is a type of molecular evolution where there is a duplication of a gene, resulting in multiple copies of the same gene in an individual or population.
Gene loss: This is a type of molecular evolution where a gene is lost from the genome due to deletion or inactivation.
Horizontal gene transfer: This is a type of molecular evolution where genetic material is transferred between different species or organisms through processes such as viral infection, plasmid exchange or hybridization.
Recombination: This is a type of molecular evolution where genetic material is exchanged between different regions of the same gene or between different genes within the same genome.
Gene conversion: This is a type of molecular evolution where DNA sequences undergo nonreciprocal exchange between homologous regions, usually leading to the conversion of one sequence into another.
Transposition: This is a type of molecular evolution where genetic elements such as transposons and retrotransposons move around in the genome, causing mutations and rearrangements.
Epigenetic changes: This is a type of molecular evolution where modifications in DNA methylation, histone modification or other epigenetic marks affect the expression of genes and their evolution over time.
"The field of molecular evolution uses principles of evolutionary biology and population genetics to explain patterns in these changes."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the rates and impacts of single nucleotide changes, neutral evolution vs. natural selection, origins of new genes, the genetic nature of complex traits, the genetic basis of speciation, the evolution of development, and ways that evolutionary forces influence genomic and phenotypic changes."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the rates and impacts of single nucleotide changes."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the rates and impacts of single nucleotide changes, neutral evolution vs. natural selection."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the origins of new genes."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the genetic nature of complex traits."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the genetic basis of speciation."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the evolution of development."
"Ways that evolutionary forces influence genomic and phenotypic changes."
"Molecular evolution is the process of change in the sequence composition of cellular molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins across generations."
"The field of molecular evolution uses principles of evolutionary biology and population genetics to explain patterns in these changes."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the rates and impacts of single nucleotide changes."
"Neutral evolution vs. natural selection."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the origins of new genes."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the genetic nature of complex traits."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the genetic basis of speciation."
"Major topics in molecular evolution concern the evolution of development."
"Ways that evolutionary forces influence genomic and phenotypic changes."
"The field of molecular evolution uses principles of evolutionary biology and population genetics to explain patterns in these changes."