Natural Selection Lost in the Midst of Genetic Forest and Epigenetic Trees<\/i><\/p>\n
Darwin\u2019s Morphological Tree of Life (TOL) is Replaced with Genetic \u2018Forest of Life\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n
The morphologically based Tree of Life (TOL) \u00a0representation ha d o m i n a t e d evolutionary biology from the time when Darwin first established it as a suf ficient description of the total history of life forms on Earth. Later, \u00a0a \u00a0three- d o m a i n\u00a0 \u00a0t r e e\u00a0 \u00a0o f ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was introduced by constructing trees of other universal genes, such as ribosomal proteins and core RNA polymerase subunits. <\/b><\/p>\n
Thus, TOL was perceived as an authentic victory of tree thinking in biology. However, genome-wide analysis of gene phylogenies (phylogenomics), <\/b>revealed\u00a0 an\u00a0 additional\u00a0 intricate\u00a0 image \u00a0of\u00a0 evolution. The discovery of HGT (Horizontal Gene Transfer) has completely changed the whole picture. There are cases reported where phylogenetic trees of individual genes commonly have dissimilar topologies and this variety of tree topologies cannot be elucidated by artifacts of phylogenetic rebuilding. <\/b><\/p>\n
These research studies recommend that TOL should be replaced by a \u201cnet of life\u201d or a \u201cforest of life\u201d. <\/b>With further advancements in research, evolutionary genomics successfully knocked down the simple idea of the TOL by enlightening the dynamic, \u00a0reticulated n a t u r e\u00a0 \u00a0o f\u00a0 \u00a0e v o l u t i o n where\u00a0 \u00a0HGT,\u00a0 \u00a0genome \u00a0fusion, and interaction among genomes of cellular life forms and diverse selfish genetic elements play a vital role.<\/p>\n
Hence, phylogenetic TOL becomes the genetic \u201cforest of life\u201d and this genetic \u201cforest of life\u201d includes trees, bushes, thickets of lianas, and obviously, several dead trunks and branches. <\/b>Darwinism does not encompass within its framework the complex mechanisms needed for creating a \u201cforest of life\u201d to support its presumption of objective evolution.<\/p>\n