Reading Phylogenetic Trees
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Objective
I can interpret a phylogenetic tree to understand evolutionary relationships.
Part 1 of 4
Warm-up video
Amoeba Sisters · 9:54Vetted channel
We don't generate video — this one is by Amoeba Sisters on YouTube. The practice questions and exit ticket below were drafted by AI for this objective, and every question is editable in the teacher guide.
Part 2 of 4
Key concepts
3 concepts
- 1
A cladogram is a diagram that serves as a hypothesis for possible evolutionary relationships among organisms based on shared characteristics.
- 2
A clade includes a common ancestor and all of its descendants, and an intersection spot on a cladogram represents a node, which can represent a common ancestor.
- 3
Cladograms show how lineages diverge and common ancestry, and relatedness is determined by internal nodes, not the proximity of tips.
Part 3 of 4
Practice
3 questions
What does a node represent on a phylogenetic tree?
Which of the following statements is correct regarding phylogenetic trees?
Part 4 of 4
Exit ticket
Quick comprehension check
“According to the cladogram discussed in the video, are maned wolves more closely related to frogs or sharks? Explain your answer by referring to the nodes in the cladogram.”
Sample answer included in the free materials
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