Lesson Summary: Learn about the tree of life

Lesson summary for... Learn about the tree of life Author/Source: Peabody Museum of Natural History

Overview:	This tutorial on phylogenetics explains the basics of tree-thinking and provides many examples from real organisms. This resource is available from the Peabody Museum of Natural History
Concepts:	This lesson covers the following concepts: Through billions of years of evolution, life forms have continued to diversify in a branching pattern, from single-celled ancestors to the diversity of life on Earth today. Present-day species evolved from earlier species; the relatedness of organisms is the result of common ancestry. As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life.
Grade Level:	9-12
Time:	20 minutes
Teacher Background:	Explore these links for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson: Classification/Phylogenetics
Teaching Tips:	This article provides a brief introduction to phylogenetics. It would make a good opening reading for a unit in which students learn more about evolutionary trees and work with phylogenies.