Cladograms
What does a cladogram show us?
• A cladogram shows evolutionary relationships
between groups of living things. It is like a family
tree for species.
How do you read a cladogram?
• The closer two species are on the cladogram, the
more closely they are related. This means they
evolved apart more recently.
• Sometimes a cladogram will list the characteristics
that make two groups or organisms different.
Everything past
this point has
four walking legs!
How do you make a cladogram?
Let’s make a cladogram that includes slugs, catfish, frogs, tigers, and humans.
A. Make a table of some adaptations that the
organisms share, and some that are unique. For
example:
Cells
Slug
Catfish
Frog
Tiger
Human
Backbone
Legs
Hair
Thumbs
How do you make a cladogram?
Let’s make a cladogram that includes slugs, catfish, frogs, tigers, and humans.
A. Make a table of some adaptations that the
organisms share, and some that are unique. For
example:
Cells
Slug
X
Catfish
X
Frog
X
Tiger
X
Human
X
Backbone
Legs
Hair
Thumbs
How do you make a cladogram?
Let’s make a cladogram that includes slugs, catfish, frogs, tigers, and humans.
A. Make a table of some adaptations that the
organisms share, and some that are unique. For
example:
Cells
Backbone
Slug
X
Catfish
X
X
Frog
X
X
Tiger
X
X
Human
X
X
Legs
Hair
Thumbs
How do you make a cladogram?
Let’s make a cladogram that includes slugs, catfish, frogs, tigers, and humans.
A. Make a table of some adaptations that the
organisms share, and some that are unique. For
example:
Cells
Backbone
Legs
Slug
X
Catfish
X
X
Frog
X
X
X
Tiger
X
X
X
Human
X
X
X
Hair
Thumbs
How do you make a cladogram?
Let’s make a cladogram that includes slugs, catfish, frogs, tigers, and humans.
A. Make a table of some adaptations that the
organisms share, and some that are unique. For
example:
Cells
Backbone
Legs
Hair
Slug
X
Catfish
X
X
Frog
X
X
X
Tiger
X
X
X
X
Human
X
X
X
X
Thumbs
How do you make a cladogram?
Let’s make a cladogram that includes slugs, catfish, frogs, tigers, and humans.
A. Make a table of some adaptations that the
organisms share, and some that are unique. For
example:
Cells
Backbone
Legs
Hair
Slug
X
Catfish
X
X
Frog
X
X
X
Tiger
X
X
X
X
Human
X
X
X
X
Thumbs
X
How do you make a cladogram?
Let’s make a cladogram that includes slugs, catfish, frogs, tigers, and humans.
A. Make a table of some adaptations that the
organisms share, and some that are unique. For
example:
Cells
Backbone
Legs
Hair
Slug
X
Catfish
X
X
Frog
X
X
X
Tiger
X
X
X
X
Human
X
X
X
X
Thumbs
X
How do you make a cladogram?
B. Then create a Venn diagram, placing the animals in
groups to illustrate those characteristics which
different animals have in common.
Cells: Slug, Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
How do you make a cladogram?
B. Then create a Venn diagram, placing the animals in
groups to illustrate those characteristics which
different animals have in common.
Backbone: Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
Cells: Slug, Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
How do you make a cladogram?
B. Then create a Venn diagram, placing the animals in
groups to illustrate those characteristics which
different animals have in common.
Legs: Frog, Tiger and Human
Backbone: Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
Cells: Slug, Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
How do you make a cladogram?
B. Then create a Venn diagram, placing the animals in
groups to illustrate those characteristics which
different animals have in common.
Hair: Tiger and Human
Legs: Frog, Tiger and Human
Backbone: Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
Cells: Slug, Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
How do you make a cladogram?
B. Then create a Venn diagram, placing the animals in
groups to illustrate those characteristics which
different animals have in common.
Thumbs: Human
Hair: Tiger and Human
Legs: Frog, Tiger and Human
Backbone: Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
Cells: Slug, Catfish, Frog, Tiger and Human
How do you make a cladogram?
C. Draw your cladogram. It is assumed that organisms
with more of the traits evolved later, so they go at the
top or on the right. Less evolved organisms go at the
bottom or left side of the cladogram.
How do you make a cladogram?
C. Draw your cladogram. It is assumed that organisms
with more of the traits evolved later, so they go at the
top or on the right. Less evolved organisms go at the
bottom or left side of the cladogram.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
CATFISH
SLUGS
How do you make a cladogram?
C. Draw your cladogram. It is assumed that organisms
with more of the traits evolved later, so they go at the
top or on the right. Less evolved organisms go at the
bottom or left side of the cladogram.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
CATFISH
SLUGS
How do you make a cladogram?
D. Then add in when the different traits most likely
evolved.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
CATFISH
SLUGS
CELLS
How do you make a cladogram?
D. Then add in when the different traits most likely
evolved.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
CATFISH
SLUGS
BACKBONE
CELLS
How do you make a cladogram?
D. Then add in when the different traits most likely
evolved.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
CATFISH
SLUGS
LEGS
BACKBONE
CELLS
How do you make a cladogram?
D. Then add in when the different traits most likely
evolved.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
CATFISH
HAIR
SLUGS
LEGS
BACKBONE
CELLS
How do you make a cladogram?
D. Then add in when the different traits most likely
evolved.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
THUMBS
CATFISH
HAIR
SLUGS
LEGS
BACKBONE
CELLS
How do you make a cladogram?
D. Then add in when the different traits most likely
evolved.
TIGER
HUMANS
FROGS
THUMBS
CATFISH
HAIR
SLUGS
LEGS
BACKBONE
CELLS