Cladisitics
Cladisitics
Cladisitics
CLADOGRAM ANALYSIS
What is a cladogram? It is a diagram that depicts evolutionary relationships among groups. It is based on PHYLOGENY,
which is the study of evolutionary relationships. Sometimes a cladogram is called a phylogenetic tree (though
technically, there are minor differences between the two).
In the past, biologists would group organisms based solely on their physical appearance. Today, with the advances in
genetics and biochemistry, biologists can look more closely at individuals to discover their pattern of evolution, and
group them accordingly - this strategy is called EVOLUTIONARY CLASSIFICATION
CLADISTICS is form of analysis that looks at features of organisms that are considered "innovations", or newer features
that serve some kind of purpose. (Think about what the word "innovation" means in regular language.) These
characteristics appear in later organisms but not earlier ones and are called DERIVED CHARACTERS.
Fill out the following character matrix. Mark an “X” if an organism has the trait.
9. Which organism is most related to the rodents and rabbits on this cladogram?
10. What 5 traits do the bird and its closest relative share?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
11. Which organism will have DNA most similar to the bird? Why?
12. Which organism’s DNA will differ the most from the bird? Why?
Examine the cladogram below. Each letter represents a derived characteristic. Match
the letter to its characteristic.
The cladogram shows the evolution of land plants as indicated by fossil records.
Cytochrome c is a protein located in the mitochondria of cells involved with cellular respiration. Below is a
table showing the amino acid sequences for cytochrome c in several organisms.
22. The more amino acids that an organism has in common, both type and order, indicates the closer the
relationship. The same is true for nucleotides. Compare the biochemical data above. Which organism
is most closely related to the lizard? Why?
24. How do you think different amino acid sequences would effect organisms? Explain your answer.