What does molecular phylogenetics utilize to infer evolutionary relationships?

Molecular phylogenetics uses DNA sequences from various species as the primary data to infer evolutionary relationships. This approach relies on comparing the genetic material—nucleotides and genes—across different organisms to determine how closely related they are and to construct trees that depict their evolutionary histories. The advantage of using molecular data is its ability to provide precise genetic information, allowing scientists to track changes over time at a molecular level that may correspond to divergence events in their evolutionary paths. This method can reveal relationships that may not be evident through morphological analyses alone, as DNA can sometimes indicate connections that have altered due to environmental changes or adaptive traits.

In summary, the focus on DNA sequences enables a rigorous quantification of genetic similarity and divergence, resulting in robust hypotheses about the evolutionary connections among species.