phylogeny

American  

[fahy-loj-uh-nee] / faɪˈlɒdʒ ə ni /

Also phylogenesis

noun

1. the development or evolution of a particular group of organisms.

2. the evolutionary history of a group of organisms, especially as depicted in a family tree.

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phylogeny British  

/ ˌfaɪləʊˈdʒɛnɪsɪs, ˌfaɪləʊdʒɪˈnɛtɪk, ˌfaɪləʊˈdʒɛnɪk, faɪˈlɒdʒɪnɪ /

noun

1. biology the sequence of events involved in the evolution of a species, genus, etc Compare ontogeny

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phylogeny Scientific  

/ fī-lŏj′ə-nē /

1. The evolutionary development and history of a species or higher taxonomic grouping of organisms.

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Other Word Forms

• phylogenetic adjective
• phylogenetical adjective
• phylogenetically adverb
• phylogenic adjective
• phylogenist noun

Etymology

Origin of phylogeny

First recorded in 1865–70; phylo- + -geny

Explanation

Use the noun phylogeny to describe the branch of biology that focuses on evolution and the differences between species. You're most likely to come across the word phylogeny in a biology class. It's another term for "phylogenetics," the study of evolution, diversity, and the way different organisms and species are related to each other. The German biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel was the first to use the word phylogeny, in 1866, and Darwin used it soon after. It combines the Greek phylos, "race," with geneia, "origin."

Example Sentences

They constructed a phylogeny of anglerfish using data from 1,092 genetic loci across 132 species, representing approximately 38% of described species, complemented by fossil calibrations and genomic data to estimate divergence times and ancestral habitats.

From Science Daily • Dec. 2, 2024

"It describes a new genus and species, but places them in the phylogeny of tardigrades," Nelson told Salon.

From Salon • Sep. 1, 2024

Identifying and analyzing poorly-studied protists, such as M. sporadica, is essential for elucidating the phylogeny and diversity of eukaryotes.

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2024

"Acoustic communication, broadly distributed along the vertebrate phylogeny, plays a fundamental role in parental care, mate attraction and various other behaviours."

From Salon • Nov. 9, 2022

But in these writings his main argument is that of his concluding chapter: the spontaneous adaptiveness of the organism, which nullifies all contingent theories to explain the purposiveness in ontogeny and phylogeny.

From Naturalism And Religion by Otto, Rudolf