Cladogram
Cladogram
A Cladogram (pronounced: /ˈklædəˌɡræm/) is a diagram used in cladistics which shows ancestral relations between species to represent the evolutionary tree of life.
Etymology
The term "Cladogram" comes from the Greek words "klados", which means branch, and "gramma", meaning something written or drawn. It was first used in the context of taxonomy in the mid-20th century.
Definition
A Cladogram is a type of phylogenetic tree that represents a hypothesis about the evolutionary history of species. It illustrates the pathway of evolution and shows how different species have branched off from common ancestors over time.
Structure
The structure of a Cladogram includes branches and nodes. The branches represent populations through time and nodes represent the common ancestors. The length of the branches can represent the amount of evolutionary change or can be arbitrary, depending on the type of data being used to construct the tree.
Related Terms
- Phylogenetics: The study of evolutionary relationships among species.
- Taxonomy: The science of classification, in biology the arrangement of organisms into a classification.
- Evolution: The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Cladogram
- Wikipedia's article - Cladogram
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski