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, molecular biology, and biochemistry, scientists can look more closely at individuals to discover their pattern of evolution, and group them accordingly.
Cladistics is form of analysis that looks at features of organisms that are adaptations, or newer features that serve some kind of purpose. These derived characteristics appear in later organisms (more evolved) but not earlier ones and are usually a result of environmental change and the organisms’ evolution to survive the changes.
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