Unraveling Cladograms
This worksheet helps grade 9 students understand how to read and interpret cladograms, focusing on evolutionary relationships and shared derived characteristics.
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Unraveling Cladograms
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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. Which of the following characteristics is shared by all organisms on this cladogram?
Hair
Lungs
Jaws
Feathers
2. Which two organisms are most closely related according to the cladogram?
Fish and Mammal
Amphibian and Reptile
Bird and Mammal
Reptile and Bird
3. A cladogram is a diagram that shows evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms based on shared characteristics.
4. The point where two lines diverge on a cladogram represents a common .
5. All organisms to the right of the 'Amniotic Egg' characteristic on the cladogram possess an amniotic egg.
True
False
6. Fish are more closely related to mammals than to amphibians.
True
False
7. Define a 'shared derived characteristic' in the context of a cladogram.
8. What is the purpose of a cladogram in the study of biology?