Phylogenetic tree or Cladogram Mar 24. Mar 25 2025

Front

What is a Cladogram or Phylogenetic Tree?

Back

A diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among various biological species based on similarities and differences in their physical or genetic characteristics.

Front

What distinguishes birds and reptiles from amphibians?

Back

The presence of an amniotic egg, which allows for reproduction in a terrestrial environment.

Front

What is an adaptation?

Back

An inherited characteristic that increases an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its specific environment.

Front

What shared characteristic do crocodiles and birds have according to the cladogram?

Back

They both lay eggs with shells.

Front

What does the bottom of a cladogram represent?

Back

The common ancestor of all the organisms represented in the tree.

Front

What is a vestigial structure?

Back

A body part that has lost its original function through evolution.

Front

What is speciation?

Back

The process by which new and distinct species evolve from a common ancestor.

Front

What are analogous structures?

Back

Body parts in different species that have similar functions but evolved independently, not from a common ancestor.

Front

What is the significance of nodes in a cladogram?

Back

Nodes represent the common ancestors from which descendant species diverged.

Front

What does a shared trait in a cladogram indicate?

Back

It indicates that the organisms sharing that trait have inherited it from a common ancestor.