Biology HL
Biology HL
4
Chapters
553
Notes
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Theme B - Form & Function
Theme B - Form & Function
Theme C - Interaction &  Interdependence
Theme C - Interaction & Interdependence
Theme D - Continuity & Change
Theme D - Continuity & Change
IB Resources
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Biology HL
Biology HL

Theme A - Unity & diversity

Unlock Cladogram Analysis Secrets!

Word Count Emoji
429 words
Reading Time Emoji
3 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 5th Nov 2024

Table of content

What is a cladogram?

  • Meet the Cladogram: Imagine a family tree, but for species! That's a cladogram. It's a tree-like diagram that tells us the 'who's who' in the evolutionary world.

  • Branches and Ends: Each branch in the tree ends at a clade, which is a fancy way of saying a group of species that share a common ancestor. It's like those third cousins you never knew you had.

Dive into the details

  • Nodes, the Reunion Points: The points where branches diverge are called nodes. Think of them like family reunions where a grandparent has two or more descendants. These nodes are critical, as they show when an ancestral species split into two or more groups.

  • Closeness in Relations: Species linked by a node? They're pretty tight, like siblings. If they're only connected via a chain of nodes, it's more of a distant cousin vibe.

  • Root, the Family Origin: The root is like the great-great-great...you get the idea...grandparent of all species on the cladogram. It's the hypothetical common ancestor from which all species sprouted.

Cladograms get fancy

  • Number-Crunching: Some cladograms level-up with numbers, indicating sequence differences. It's like comparing two siblings and counting how many traits (like eye color or height) they don't share.

  • Time Travel: Some cladograms are even drawn to scale, with time estimates of each evolutionary split. It's like dating your family photo album!

  • Phylogeny: The branch pattern in a cladogram is thought to reflect phylogeny, or the evolutionary origins of each species. In other words, cladograms are the ultimate detective's tool for figuring out the evolutionary backstory of a species.

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IB Resources
Theme A - Unity & diversity
Biology HL
Biology HL

Theme A - Unity & diversity

Unlock Cladogram Analysis Secrets!

Word Count Emoji
429 words
Reading Time Emoji
3 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 5th Nov 2024

Table of content

What is a cladogram?

  • Meet the Cladogram: Imagine a family tree, but for species! That's a cladogram. It's a tree-like diagram that tells us the 'who's who' in the evolutionary world.

  • Branches and Ends: Each branch in the tree ends at a clade, which is a fancy way of saying a group of species that share a common ancestor. It's like those third cousins you never knew you had.

Dive into the details

  • Nodes, the Reunion Points: The points where branches diverge are called nodes. Think of them like family reunions where a grandparent has two or more descendants. These nodes are critical, as they show when an ancestral species split into two or more groups.

  • Closeness in Relations: Species linked by a node? They're pretty tight, like siblings. If they're only connected via a chain of nodes, it's more of a distant cousin vibe.

  • Root, the Family Origin: The root is like the great-great-great...you get the idea...grandparent of all species on the cladogram. It's the hypothetical common ancestor from which all species sprouted.

Cladograms get fancy

  • Number-Crunching: Some cladograms level-up with numbers, indicating sequence differences. It's like comparing two siblings and counting how many traits (like eye color or height) they don't share.

  • Time Travel: Some cladograms are even drawn to scale, with time estimates of each evolutionary split. It's like dating your family photo album!

  • Phylogeny: The branch pattern in a cladogram is thought to reflect phylogeny, or the evolutionary origins of each species. In other words, cladograms are the ultimate detective's tool for figuring out the evolutionary backstory of a species.

Unlock the Full Content! File Is Locked Emoji

Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Biology HL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟