What dating technique estimates the timing of evolutionary splits between major modern water beetle groups?
Answer
Molecular clock estimates
Contemporary evolutionary biology utilizes molecular clock estimates as a key method for dating divergence events within living species. This technique involves sequencing the DNA of extant (living) beetles and analyzing the rate at which neutral genetic mutations accumulate over time. By calibrating this mutation rate using known fossil dates, researchers can assign statistical dates to the branching points in the reconstructed family tree. This provides essential context for understanding the relationships among various aquatic families and sequencing which groups split off earliest in their evolutionary history.
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