Helpful or Harmful? | California

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Title: Helpful or Harmful?: Phylogenic Trees in Public Education About Evolution.
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Subject: Phylogeny., Evolution.
Description: Phylogenetic trees are fundamental to teaching evolution and are defined as, "a graphic representation of the evolutionary relations among living and extinct organisms" (Cela-Conde & Ayala, 2007, p. 374). Their place in the classroom is unquestionable. However, the classroom is only one of many settings in which evolution can be taught. Other non-school public education forums, such as museums, often use phylogenetic trees to illustrate complex evolutionary relationships that are not nearly as simple as they seem. These visual tools often oversimplify evolutionary relationships to the point that they can create misconceptions. This paper seeks to understand the common misunderstandings inherent in phylogenetic trees when used in various public forums. Additionally, the main goal of this paper is to discover which method of visual representations (phylogenetic tree, cladogram, chronologies, etc.) can be used to minimize confusion. This will be accomplished through an extensive review of the literature surrounding the creation of phylogenetic trees, as well as the literature studying the way these trees are interpreted. Ideally, this research will provide guidance on methods of creating and presenting phylogenetic trees and cladograms that avoid bias, and can prevent misconception., Honors Thesis Advisor, Dr. Cassandra Kuba.
Publisher
Contributor: Dawes, Alexander B. (Author), California University of Pennsylvania. Honors Program.
Date: 2017-04-25
Type: Text
Format
Identifier: cali:110
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