Branching diagrams showing patterns of shared derived traits among taxa.
Nodes mark common ancestors; a trait table is used to build them. Parsimony picks the tree with the fewest changes. Outgroups root the tree.
A cladogram shows branching order not time. Nodes are hypothesised ancestors. Multiple equally parsimonious trees may exist.
Key idea: more shared derived traits means closer relationship.
Branching diagrams showing patterns of shared derived traits among taxa.
Cladograms is one of the 52 topics in Taxonomy & Biodiversity. It is rated Intermediate, so it suits learners who already know the core vocabulary. Related topics in this area include Shared Derived Characters, Paraphyletic and Polyphyletic, Molecular Systematics.
A table of traits (jaws, lungs, limbs, hair) can construct a vertebrate cladogram.
Work through the Beginner topics in Taxonomy & Biodiversity first, such as Taxonomy, Binomial Nomenclature, Taxonomic Hierarchy, then return to Cladograms. Intermediate topics assume the Beginner vocabulary.
The closest topics to Cladograms are Shared Derived Characters, Paraphyletic and Polyphyletic, Molecular Systematics, Phylogenetic Classification. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Cladograms. To practise the whole of Taxonomy & Biodiversity, use the Taxonomy & Biodiversity quiz.
Cladograms: Branching diagrams showing patterns of shared derived traits among taxa. Shared Derived Characters: Novel traits inherited from a recent common ancestor that define a clade. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Shared Derived Characters and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Taxonomy & Biodiversity quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Novel traits inherited from a recent common ancestor that define a clade.
🗂️ Taxonomy & BiodiversityParaphyletic groups omit some descendants; polyphyletic groups lack the most recent common ancestor.
🗂️ Taxonomy & BiodiversityUses DNA and protein sequences to infer relationships between organisms.
🗂️ Taxonomy & BiodiversityGroups organisms by evolutionary relationships so that taxa reflect common ancestry.
🗂️ Taxonomy & Biodiversity