Cladogram Basics Worksheet
Explore the fundamentals of cladograms, including their purpose, components, and how to interpret evolutionary relationships.
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Cladogram Basics Worksheet
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Read each question carefully and answer to the best of your ability. Refer to the cladogram provided for specific questions.
Observe the cladogram below to answer the following questions.
1. What is the primary purpose of a cladogram?
To show the habitat of different species
To illustrate evolutionary relationships among organisms
To classify organisms based on physical size
To determine the age of fossils
2. What do the branch points (nodes) on a cladogram represent?
Extinct species
Shared derived characteristics
Common ancestors
Individual organisms
3. A cladogram is a diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms, also known as .
4. Characteristics that appear in a cladogram are called traits, which are shared by all the organisms above that point.
5. All organisms on a cladogram evolved from a single common ancestor.
True
False
6. Organisms that are closer together on a cladogram are more distantly related.
True
False
7. Briefly explain the difference between an ancestral trait and a derived trait in the context of a cladogram.
8. Looking at the cladogram provided, identify two organisms that share a more recent common ancestor with each other than with any other organism shown.