Portal:Evolutionary biology

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
The Evolutionary Biology Portal

Template:/box-header

Tree of life.svg
Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology concerned with the origin and descent of species, as well as their change, multiplication, and diversity over time. Biologically, evolution is the change in the inherited traits of a population from generation to generation. These traits are the expression of genes that are copied and passed on to offspring during reproduction. Mutations in these genes can produce new or altered traits, resulting in heritable differences (genetic variation) between organisms. New traits can also come from transfer of genes between populations, as in migration, or between species, in horizontal gene transfer. Evolution occurs when these heritable differences become more common or rare in a population, either non-randomly through natural selection or randomly through genetic drift.

Template:/box-footer

Show new selections below (purge)
edit  watch  

Selected article

DNA chemical structure
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information. DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules. The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in regulating the use of this genetic information. Chemically, DNA is a long polymer of simple units called nucleotides, with a backbone made of sugars and phosphate groups joined by ester bonds. Attached to each sugar is one of four types of molecules called bases. It is the sequence of these four bases along the backbone that encodes information. This information is read using the genetic code, which specifies the sequence of the amino acids within proteins. The code is read by copying stretches of DNA into the related nucleic acid RNA, in a process called transcription. Most of these RNA molecules are used to synthesize proteins, but others are used directly in structures such as ribosomes and spliceosomes.
edit  watch  

Selected picture

Tarbosaurus museum Muenster
Credit: Commons:User:Thomas Ihle

Tarbosaurus at the Naturkundemuseum Münster in Münster, Germany.

Template:/box-header

Evolutionary biology

Evolutionary biologists • Eugenics • Evolutionary biology literature • Evolutionary dynamics • Evolutionary game theory • Extinction • History of evolutionary biology • Human evolution • Microbial population biology • Molecular evolution • Mutation • Paleontology • Phylogenetics • Population genetics • Evolutionary psychology • Selection • Sociobiology • Speciation • Symbiosis • Tree of life •

Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header

Question.png
  • ...that adaptations enable living organisms to cope with environmental stresses and pressures?
  • ...that maintained gene flow between two populations can also lead to a combination of the two gene pools, reducing the genetic variation between the two groups?
  • ...that all forms of natural speciation have taken place over the course of evolution, though it still remains a subject of debate as to the relative importance of each mechanism in driving biodiversity?
  • ...that despite the relative rarity of suitable conditions for fossilization, approximately 250,000 fossil species are known?
  • ...that genetic sequence evidence thus allows inference and quantification of genetic relatedness between humans and other apes?
  • ...that the human species has a common ancestor with the ape? (similar to above reference)

Template:/box-footer

Template:/box-header


Here are some tasks awaiting attention:

    Template:/box-footer

    Template:/box-header

    Community.png

    WikiProjects connected with biology:

    A complete list of scientific WikiProjects can be found here. See also Wikispecies, a Wikimedia project dedicated to classification of biological species.

    Template:/box-footer

    Template:/box-header

    Evolutionary biology fields— Cladistics • Ecological genetics • Evolutionary development • Human evolution • Molecular evolution • Phylogenetics • Population genetics
    Mechanisms— Natural selection • Genetic drift • Gene flow
    Outcomes— Adaptation • Co-evolution • Co-operation • Speciation • Extinction
    Research and history— Evidence of common descent • Evolutionary history of life • History of evolutionary thought • Modern evolutionary synthesis • Social effect of evolutionary theory • Objections to evolution
    Applications — Evolutionary algorithm •

    Template:/box-footer

    Template:/box-header

    Portal-puzzle.svg

    Related subjects

    Issoria lathonia.jpg
    90x63px
    Terra.png
    Astrolabe-Persian-18C.jpg
    Frans Hals - Portret van René Descartes.jpg
    Philippe de Champaigne Still-Life with a Skull.JPG
    Biology Chemistry Earth sciences History of science Philosophy of science Death
    Albert Einstein Head.jpg
    Mol Anth Ico.PNG
    Science Molecular
    Anthropology

    Topics in biology

    E coli at 10000x.jpg
    Earth Day Flag.png
    ExtinctDodoBird.jpeg
    Moorish idol.jpg
    Biological cell.svg
    Biotechnology Ecology Extinction Marine Life Molecular and
    Cell Biology

    Template:/box-footer

    Template:/box-header

    Evolutionary biology on Wikinews     Evolutionary biology on Wikiquote     Evolutionary biology on Wikibooks     Evolutionary biology on Wikisource     Evolutionary biology on Wiktionary     Evolutionary biology on Wikimedia Commons
    News Quotations Manuals & Texts Texts Definitions Images & Media
    Wikinews-logo.svg
    Wikiquote-logo.svg
    Wikibooks-logo.svg
    Wikisource-logo.svg
    30px
    Commons-logo.svg

    Template:/box-footer

    Purge server cache