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What is cladistics used for?

1) Organizing relationships among taxa
2) Classifying organisms based on their physical characteristics
3) Determining the age of fossils
4) Studying the behavior of animals

User QPTR
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1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

Cladistics is a method used to organize homologous traits to describe phylogenies and classify organisms based on their evolutionary relationships. It is primarily used for organizing relationships among taxa.

Therefore, option 1) is the most accurate choice.

Step-by-step explanation:

Cladistics is used for organizing relationships among taxa by grouping organisms into clades, which are composed of an ancestor and all of its descendants. This method is based on the principle that members of a clade share common features that were present in their common ancestor. Cladistics offers a way to visualize evolutionary relationships and can give insight into shared characteristics, inferences about evolutionary history, and improvements in our understanding of phylogenetic trees.

For example, reptiles and birds are placed in the same clade because birds evolved from an ancestral reptile, indicating that they share a common evolutionary history. Similarly, when constructing a phylogenetic tree to show the relationship between dogs, wolves, and cats, one would place dogs and wolves more closely together than either is to cats, reflecting their closer evolutionary relationship.

Therefore, option 1) is the most accurate choice.

User Lahiru Jayakody
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