Question

Describe how to make a cladogram. Include the types of characters that are used and the judgments you must make about the characters.

Answer 1

To make a cladogram, follow these steps: choose a group of organisms, identify shared characteristics, organize the organisms into clades, draw lines to represent evolutionary relationships, and analyze the cladogram to understand the history and relationships.

Step-by-step explanation:

To make a cladogram, you need to follow these steps:

1. Start by choosing a group of organisms that you want to compare and analyze.
2. Identify and gather data on shared characteristics among the organisms. These characteristics can be physical traits, like the presence or absence of wings, or genetic traits, like the presence or absence of a specific gene.
3. Organize the organisms into groups based on their shared characteristics. Each group represents a clade, which is a group of organisms that descended from a common ancestor.
4. Using a tree diagram, draw lines to connect the organisms within each clade. The lines should represent the evolutionary relationships between the organisms.
5. Analyze the cladogram and make judgments about the characters. Determine which characteristics are ancestral (found in the common ancestor) and which are derived (found only in certain groups). This will help you understand the evolutionary history of the organisms and the relationships between different clades.