Phylogeny Construction: Primate Skulls and Protein Sequences
Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2013, Volume 34
Sarah Deel
Abstract
In this introductory lab, students generate a primate phylogeny using skull reproductions to collect data including number of teeth and cranial capacity. They determine whether traits are similar to the outgroup organism (ancestral) or different (derived). They then find the most parsimonious tree for four organisms, determining which of the possible trees requires the fewest changes from ancestral to derived character states.As a student follow-up to the lab, protein sequences are used from the same primates to determine relationships based on sequence similarities. This assignment makes use of free, online resources to collect sequences, generate alignments, and construct phylogenetic trees.
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