Phylogenetic Trees and Cladograms

A diagram representing evolutionary relationships between groups, often species, based on shared characteristics.

A type of phylogenetic tree that specifically focuses on branching patterns, showing which groups share a common ancestor.

Lines connecting the different groups on the tree, representing evolutionary lineages.

Points where branches meet, signifying a common ancestor for the groups on those branches.

Species whose branches meet closer to the top of the tree, indicating they shared a recent common ancestor.

Species whose branches meet lower on the tree, indicating they shared an ancestor further in the past.

Changes or new traits that arise along branches of the tree, inherited by all descendants on that branch.

Groups of organisms represented on the tree, often at the tips of the branches.

Characteristics that are found in two or more species, suggesting a common ancestor.

Birds that belong to the Galliformes order, characterized by large numbers of offspring and precocious young. Examples include chickens and pheasants.

Birds that belong to the Anseriformes order, adapted for aquatic habitats with specialized bills and feathers. Examples include ducks and geese.

A bird that has specialized feet and toes for perching on branches, typically found in the Passeriformes order.

Birds that mainly live in terrestrial habitats and spend their time on land. Examples include parrots, owls, and many songbirds.

The shape and size of a bird's beak, developed to suit its specific diet and feeding habits.

A type of natural selection where individuals choose mates based on certain traits, leading to evolution of those traits.

A trait that is present in a group of organisms but not in their ancestors. These are useful for building cladograms because they indicate shared ancestry.

The point on a cladogram where a branch splits. This represents a common ancestor where a new trait evolved.

A characteristic that is present in two or more taxa and is not present in their common ancestor. These are used to group taxa together on a cladogram.

New taxa can be added to an existing cladogram by comparing their traits to the existing taxa. If the new taxon shares a derived characteristic with an existing taxon, it is placed on the same branch.

Assigning numerical codes (e.g., 0 or 1) to traits to represent their presence or absence in different taxa. This helps analyze data for building cladograms.

A table that organizes the taxa and their traits, using coded values to quickly assess shared characteristics. This helps in building and analyzing cladograms.

Land birds are a classification of birds that includes those that are not water birds. These typically include birds that live in terrestrial habitats.

'Fowl' is a category encompassing birds typically raised for food or eggs, which are not perching birds. These include species like ducks, chickens, and turkeys.

Perching birds are a group of birds adapted for perching on branches, often with specific foot structure and strong toes to help them grasp. This group includes songbirds.

A cladogram is a diagram showing evolutionary relationships between groups of organisms, based on shared characteristics. It depicts a branching pattern representing how different groups diverged from a common ancestor.

On a cladogram, two species are considered closely related if they share a recent common ancestor, meaning they diverged from a common lineage relatively recently in evolutionary time.

While both falcons and songbirds are considered 'land birds', falcons are not considered 'fowl' birds, whereas songbirds are.

Songbirds are more closely related to doves on a cladogram because they share a more recent common ancestor, compared to falcons.

Both parrots and falcons have hooked bills, a characteristic not found in songbirds.