1. Cladistics

2. Cladistics The process of grouping living organisms
Allows us to see evolutionary relationships based on similar features called homologous structures
These characteristics show us how organisms have evolved from a common ancestor

3. Prediction of Characteristics
Characteristics that are shared by organisms within a group would be expected to be found in other species that are closely related

4. Cladograms
Evolutionary relationships are shown with branching tree diagrams

5. Species placed in order that they descended from a common ancestor

7. DNA as Evidence
Since organisms use DNA as their genetic material, similarities and differences in DNA can be used to show common ancestry
Example:
Species 1 - AAT GGC CCT TCC
Species 2 - GAT GCC CCT TCC
Species 3 - GAT GCC ACT TCG

8. Clade: is a group of organisms evolved from a common ancestor including all species alive today, common ancestral species, and extinct species that evolved from that common ancestor

9. Derived characteristics are traits shared by clade members
Determine how species are arranged on a cladogram
More closely related species share more derived characteristics

10. Nodes represent the most recent common ancestor of a clade.

11. Cladograms video