Evo Tree 101

Since Darwin first brought the famous metaphor "Tree of Life" in On the Origin of Species, people are using tree structure to understand and prsent the process of evolution. 

The evolutionary tree, or phylogenetic tree, is illustrating the idea of species evolving from a common ancestor. The leaves, of the end of the tree usually represent the extant species, and deeper nodes of the tree represents their ancestor species (mostly extinct). Branches show the evolutionary distinction from ancestor to descentants.

Phylogenetic trees are an excellent abstraction of evolution, even though they normally don't show more complex and detailed evolution history (like hybriation,  imcomplete lineage sorting and introgression, which are common and important through evolution history) with just binary structure. More forms of illustration like phylogenetic network are usually based on forms of trees.

As a highly abstraction form, the evolution tree is an "Articifial nature".

Besides, in game, through dying and displaying, player change the look, poses and even topology of the tree, representing the human impact on specises, like domestication and extinction or diversification caused by habitat fragmentation.

Originally, there are mechanics that if player give too much operations on the tree, there will be random loss of the nodes and branches, which would parallel the chain reaction caused by human impact. I thought it would be more comfortable to interact with the tree if those mechanics were not applied. So I choose to deliver this simple tree displayer without certain goals and rules.

Please experience in fullscreen...sry

Any input to Start.

R to regenerate tree.

Mouse to move camera, mouse scroll wheel to zoom.

LMB click background: Open color pannel.

LBM drag node: Move a clade; overly moving would break the clade.

LMB drag branch: Rotate a clade.

LMB drag color to release on tree: Change color or branch or node; change root color would change background color.

RMB drag node: Move a node;

RMB press branch: Generate new leaves.

RMB press background: Speed up growing.