Tree thinking

Carolus Linnaeus

A Swedish scientist who organized living things into groups in the mid-1700s.

Traits

Characteristics that help identify an organism.

Common Ancestor

An organism from the past that is related to all the organisms in a group.

Descendant

An organism related to an organism that lived earlier.

Cladogram

An evolutionary tree diagram based on shared characteristics.

Inherited Characteristics

A genetic trait that an ancestor passes on to its descendants.

Most Recent Common Ancestor

The first organism from the past that is related to all the organisms in the group.

Evolve

To change.

Species

A group of organisms that can interbreed or pass on its genes to following generations.

Tree Thinking

A method used by scientists to model evolution.

Patterns

Maps of relatedness based on shared inherited characteristics.

Evidence

Information gathered to support or refute a hypothesis about relationships among organisms.

Similarities and Differences

Criteria used by Linnaeus to group living things.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)

A molecule that contains an organism’s genetic information.

Evolutionary relationships

Connections and lineages between different groups of organisms over time.