An evolutionary lineage is a temporal series of populations, organisms, cells, or genes connected by a continuous line of descent from ancestor to descendant. Lineages are subsets of the evolutionary tree of life. Lineages are often determined by the techniques of molecular systematics.

What causes lineages to branch?

Moreover, during evolution, lineages often split. This occurs when populations or groups of populations become genetically isolated from one another. Lineages most commonly split because of the migration of a few individuals to a new, isolated region (e.g., an island). This is sometimes called a founder event.

What is the definition of lineage in biology?

Lineages are sequences of biological entities connected by ancestry-descent relationships (Hull 1980). A sequence containing myself, my father, and my grandfather is a lineage because it is a single, direct line of descent among organisms. But biologists do not only discuss lineages of organisms.