Question

Recall that common assumptions of cladistics include:

a) Similarities due to convergent evolution
b) No shared ancestry between species
c) Characteristics inherited from a common ancestor
d) Phylogenetic relationships based solely on behavior

Answer 1

Cladistics is a method used to distinguish between ancestral and derived characteristics. By looking at derived characteristics, scientists can understand relationships between groups. Phylogenetic trees show the evolution of species from common ancestors.

Step-by-step explanation:

Cladistics, or the use of cladograms, is a method of visually distinguishing between homologous ancestral and derived characteristics. Ancestral characteristics are found in the common ancestor of the species being classified, whereas derived characteristics are only found in the groups in question. By exclusively looking at derived characteristics, biological anthropologists can develop a clearer understanding of the relationships between the groups being studied. Phylogenetic trees show how species and other taxon groups evolved from a series of common ancestors.