Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on The Phylogenetic Relationships of African Hominids: The Cladistic Verses the Molecular Data Approach. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 10 page overview of the manner in which phylogenetic relationships are determined. This paper given an outline of both the cladistic approach and the molecular data approach, emphasizing that each has their place in establishing the phylogeny of African hominids. Bibliography lists 9 sources.
Page Count:
10 pages (~225 words per page)
File: AM2_PPphylo2.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
In the African hominids, just as is the case for every other group of living entities, phylogenetic relationships are a critical component
of evolutionary biology. Indeed, it is upon our knowledge of phylogeny which we base much of our theory of evolution. Even in "Origin of Species", that infamous production
of an earlier century which many consider synonymous with the concept of evolution, Darwin relies heavily on his knowledge of phylogeny to assess the characteristics of plants and animals which
he observed on his scientific voyage on the "Beagle". He notes a difference in the morphological characters and species composition between the plants and animals on the mainland and
on the Galapagos Islands and theorizes that these differences are the result of speciation of the several species into many. This is only one example, of the many interrelationships
of phylogeny and evolutionary theory which have occurred over time. The manner in which we phylogenetically classify living organisms can basically be broken into two broad approaches, the molecular
data approach and the cladistic approach. The purpose of this paper is to first provide a concise definition of each of these approaches and then to explore their relationship
to the phylogenetic classification of the African hominids. Forey and Janvier (1994) clarify that while a substantial component of the scientific community has
been turning toward the molecular data approach to phylogenetic classification, the cladistic approach has been the traditional approach. First introduced in 1950 by the German entomologist Willi Hennig, the
cladistic approach has been significantly revised over the years to rely more and more on computer algorithms to express relationships in terms of degree of relationship, for example:
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