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Genetics
Fish Phylogenetics
The science of reconstructing fish evolutionary relationships using molecular sequences and morphology - constantly rewriting the fish family tree.
System: Reproductive Level: Advanced Discipline: Ichthyology
📖 Overview
Molecular phylogenetics has transformed fish taxonomy. Species once thought closely related are now known to be distantly related; superficial similarities turn out to be convergence; entire fish orders have been redrawn. Modern fish trees are built from mitochondrial DNA, nuclear genes, and increasingly whole-genome comparisons.
🔑 Key Concepts
Molecular clock, convergent evolution, monophyly vs paraphyly, transcriptome-based phylogeny.
✨ Fun Fact
The eel-like moray and the electric eel are only distantly related - eels are true Anguilliformes, but electric eels are actually knifefish (Gymnotiformes) that convergently evolved eel morphology.