Phylogeny Project Assignment

Phylogeny Project Assignment

Phylogeny Project

BIOL 4330

Data set requirements:

1. 15 – 25 taxa
2. One gene that you expect to be useful for phylogenetic inference
3. You will submit 1) your aligned DNA matrix; 2) two different phylogenies constructed from that matrix using different methods of phylogenetic inference; 3) 3 – 5 page written report in Microsoft Word format (see below).

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Report Requirements:

1. Must be written in scientific style and submitted in manuscript format as per guidelines below.
2. Must include the following sections: Introduction/Background, Methods, Discussion, Literature Cited
3. Minimum of 8 citations in appropriate format (see below)
4. 3 – 5 pages (Double spaced, 12 pt font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins), not including the Literature Cited Section and Figures
5. At least one figure with legend

Phylogeny Project Guidelines

1. The first third, or so, of your manuscript should be an overview of current literature and will give a background on our understanding of the classification and phylogeny of the group of organisms you selected.  This will include major subgroups/taxonomy of the group, a summary of the current understanding of phylogenetic relationships within the group, and information about the outgroup(s).
2. A paragraph detailing your methods. This will include gene selection, sequence acquisition, alignment and phylogenetic analysis.
3. The last third, or so, of your paper should summarize your results and include discussion about congruence (or not) with the current understanding of phylogenetic relationships within the group.

Phylogeny Project Assignment

A 25% penalty will be assessed for each day late, and projects will not be accepted after Friday, November 16.

Requirements:

1. Final report in a single Word document in manuscript style submitted through BlackBoard.
2. Data set alignment file (.mas) generated in MEGA
3. Two tree files with the phylogenies generated from your aligned data set

Phylogeny Project Grading Criteria

Introduction/Background                           ____/20

Discussion                                        ____/40

Literature Cited                                          ____/20

Grammar/Mechanics                         ____/10

Appropriate Format                         ____/5

Figures/Legends                                ____/5

Total                                                 ____/100