Lineage (genetic)

A genetic lineage is a series of mutations which connect an ancestral genetic type (allele, haplotype, or haplogroup) to derivative type. In cases where the genetic tree is very bushy the order of mutations in the lineage is mostly known, examples are the order of mutations between E1b1b and E1b1b1a1a for the human Y-chromosome. In other instances the order of mutations may not be known, an example is the sequence of mutations between the L0/L1 split for human mitochondrial DNA and the basal L0 or L1 nodes.