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WORKSHEET 15 - CLADOGRAM MAKING 1. Complete the given table below by making an “X” or “0” on the appropriate boxes and tallying the scores for each characteristic.

Characteristic

Paramecium

Planaria

Shark

Hawk

Eukaryotic

X

X

X

X

Multicellular

0

X

X

X

Vertebral column

0

0

X

X

Amniotic egg

0

0

0

X

Placenta

0

0

0

0

Opposite thumb

0

0

0

0

Embryonic development

0

X

X

X

Characteristic

Koala

Camel

Human

Total

Eukaryotic

X

X

X

7

Multicellular

X

X

X

6

Vertebral column

X

X

X

5

Amniotic egg

X

X

X

4

Placenta

0

X

X

2

Opposite thumb

0

0

X

1

Embryonic development

X

X

X

6

2. Label the Venn diagram on the next page. The labels should be based on the completed table of characteristics or traits.

3. Label the clade below to diagrammatically present the constructed Venn diagram.

4. Is it safe to conclude that all the given organisms come from eukaryotic ancestors? Explain.

It is safe to conclude that all given organisms come from eukaryotic ancestors.

Based on the completed table of characteristics, all given organisms are proven to be eukaryotic organisms, which surmises that all given organisms come from eukaryotic ancestors.

5. Which organisms evolved first, the koala or the hawk? Explain.

We can say that the Hawks are the first ones to evolved than Koalas. Because based on the Cladogram that was made, Hawks are the first ones to develop, and the following is the Koalas.

6. Are the camels more closely related to koalas or hawks? Explain.

Both animals only differ one trait to a camel, a placenta. Because of this I believe they are equally close to a camel.

7. Which organism will have DNA most like camels? Explain.

Based on our answers, humans and camels share almost every characteristic, except for the thumb. So therefore, I believe that the DNA of a human is the most alike to a DNA of a camel.

8. Which organism will have DNA expected to differ the most from humans?

Explain.

• The species with DNA that is expected to vary the most from humans is Paramecium, they have something to do with the least characteristics with human being, which is they are both eukaryotic. Also, Paramecium does not contain these characteristics: multicellular, vertebral column, amniotic egg, placenta, opposite thumb, and embryonic development.

9. Where will the following organisms: lizards, horses, and monkeys, are most likely to be placed in your clade? Explain.

• I think that monkeys would most likely be placed in my clade, since they are the species that shares the most similar characteristics with the humans. Also there are studies that stated that an organism under monkey which is the chimpanzees are genetically near to the human who shares 98.6 percent of the human DNA. 10. Clarify the three basic assumptions in cladistics: 10.1 Any group of organisms are related by descent from a common ancestor.

This is an evolutionary theory that suggests that all life on Earth is related. With this theory, we can hypothesize a pattern of relationships between species and trace them back towards a common ancestor.

10.2 There is a bifurcating pattern of cladogenesis.

This assumption is known to be the most controversial one. It suggests that when existing lineage splits exactly into two groups, new organisms arise. However, biologists found that there are exemptions and other possibilities such as interbreeding between distinct groups, which only occurs rarely. Due to the

rareness of the alternatives, the assumption is favorable by many and agreed upon to be true.

10.3 Change in characteristics occurs in lineages over time.

This assumption is believed to be the most important one in cladistics. It suggests that one is considered a different lineage when it has a recognizable change/s in characteristics. Two words are associated in this theory, the plesiomorphic, which is the original state, and apomorphic, also known as the changed state.

CONCLUSION/S Cladistics is the most widely used method in classifying organisms. It gives hypothesis about relationships of organisms, which allows us to predict their properties as well as their common ancestor. As cladistics is evolutionary, it is important to learn about it because it involves human history and changes over time including many more species’ that surround people.

REFERENCE/S An Introduction to Cladistics. Introduction to Cladistics. [accessed 2021 May 30]. https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/clad/clad1.html Why Do Biologists Need Cladistics? The Need for Cladistics. [accessed 2021 May 30]. https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/clad/clad5.html