Abstract
Biodiversity is the outcome of evolution. In turn, evolution is the consequence of the repetition of two processes: diversification and selection. Diversification and selection cause two significant patterns in biodiversity. The first pattern is the division into different species, reflected in what is known as the 'tree of life'. The second pattern is the appearance of the same levels of complexity independently of each other in separate branches of the tree. Examples of these levels are eukaryotic cells and multicellular organisms. This chapter seeks to answer the following questions: what is the reason for all this variety in nature; how do the same transitions in complexity occur in different branches of the tree; what do the levels of complexity mean for classifying and evaluating biodiversity; and how can organisms maintain stable functioning despite their highly variable genetic material.Keywords: biodiversity; eukaryotic cells; evolution ofendosymbiosis; multicellular organisms; organisational levels; tree of life
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