phylogeny- yellow

what are phylogenetic trees/cladograms

visual representations of the evolutionary relationships between organisms

morphological evidence

the physical characteristics of organisms

-body shape, size, and structure

-can suggest common ancestry

-can be used to create cladograms

-the more similar structures organisms have, the closer they will be

fossil evidence

provides information about the evolutionary history of organisms

-can reveal physical characteristics of extinct species

-provide clues about relationships to living organisms

genetic evidence

DNA and RNA sequencing can be used to study relationships

-can be used to identify similarities and differences and suggest common ancestry

-more similar traits=closer on the tree

biogeographical evidence

geographic distributions can provide information of evolutionary history

-presence of similar species in different parts of the world can suggest a common ancestor

embryological evidence

comparing the development of embryos can provide clues about relationships

-similarities suggest common ancestry

behavioral evidence

behavior of organisms can provide clues about evolutionary history

-similarities in behavior suggest common ancestry or shared environmental adaptation

outgroup

a group of species closely related to the species you're studying but isn't a part of the group itself.

-help scientists find the ancestral traits and the derived traits

-gives a way to understand how different species are related and how they evolved over time