Final answer:
To show the phylogenetic history of a chicken using a phylogenetic tree, one would start with an early reptile, then a theropod dinosaur, and finally, a modern bird. Cladistics would be used to determine these relationships based on shared derived characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phylogenetic tree is a diagram that represents the evolutionary relationships between various organisms. To show the phylogenetic history of a chicken, we would need to look at a phylogenetic tree that includes birds and their closest relatives. Since the student's question does not provide the specific organisms or the actual tree, I can use general knowledge to demonstrate what such an arrangement might look like.
Typically, on a phylogenetic tree, birds (including chickens) would fall within the reptile clade, showing that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs, which are a subgroup of reptiles. Therefore, the correct order to show the phylogenetic history of a chicken might start with an early reptile, then move to a theropod dinosaur, and finally to a modern bird, which includes chickens.
The most important aspects are evolutionary pathways, common ancestors, and cladistics, which help in understanding the relationships among species on such trees. Cladistics is a method that scientists use to create clades based on shared derived characteristics. This analytical approach allows us to propose hypothetical but scientifically supported relationships between species, both living and extinct.