Phylogeny of New Zealand plants
One of the major contributions of Charles Darwin was the notion that all living things are united by the process of descent, and at one time they shared a common ancestor. A phylogeny is an evolutionary tree used to depict the pattern of relationships between a common ancestor and its descendants. A phylogeny provides a framework to understand evolutionary processes of diversification, dispersal and extinction. It also provides the basis to classify biodiversity in a fashion that is rigorous, reproducible and predictable.
Reconstructing phylogeny is a challenging proposition. From an infinite number of possibilities, only one path was taken by evolution. Systematists attempt to retrace the branching pattern in the evolutionary tree of life, and they accomplish this by studying the distribution of traits that are inherited from one generation to the next. Traditionally anatomy, morphology, cytology and secondary chemistry have been used, but more recently plant systematists at the Allen Herbarium have turned to DNA molecules as a value source of information. Random errors, mutations, in the DNA molecular leave a fingerprint that provides evidence of a relationships, and this can be used to trace the origins and diversification of the New Zealand flora.
Read more - Phylogeny of New Zealand plants »
Primary contact
 | Steve Wagstaff Email  |
Landcare Research | |
Phone: 03 321 9999 |