Cladogram Worksheet - Fill and Sign Printable Template Online - Free Printable

Problem Analysis:

The task involves analyzing a cladogram and determining the evolutionary relationships among different groups (labeled as A, B, C, D, E, F, G) based on shared characteristics. The cladogram is a branching diagram that represents evolutionary history, where each branch point (node) indicates a common ancestor.

#### Key Concepts:
1. Cladogram: A branching diagram showing evolutionary relationships.
2. Characteristics: Traits or features used to group organisms into clades.
3. Clade: A group of organisms that includes a common ancestor and all its descendants.
4. Derived Characters: New traits that appear in a lineage and are used to define clades.

#### Given Information:
- The cladogram shows six groups labeled A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
- There are seven characteristics listed:
1. Wings
2. 6 Legs
3. Segmented Body
4. Double set of wings
5. Hard exoskeleton
6. Compound eyes
7. Curly Antennae

#### Objective:
Determine which characteristics are shared derived characters for each clade in the cladogram.

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Solution Approach:

#### Step 1: Understand the Cladogram Structure
- The cladogram shows a series of branching points (nodes), indicating common ancestors.
- Groups that share a more recent common ancestor are grouped together in a clade.
- Characteristics that appear at a specific node are considered shared derived characters for that clade.

#### Step 2: Analyze Each Node
We will examine each branching point (node) in the cladogram and determine which characteristics are shared by the groups descended from that node.

##### Node 1 (Base of the Tree):
- All groups (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) are descended from this node.
- Shared characteristics at this level:
- Segmented Body (present in all arthropods).
- 6 Legs (assumed to be present in all groups unless otherwise specified).

##### Node 2 (Groups A, B, C):
- Groups A, B, and C form a clade.
- Shared characteristics at this node:
- Wings: Groups A, B, and C have wings, while D, E, F, and G do not.
- Hard Exoskeleton: This is likely a shared characteristic of all arthropods but is not unique to this clade.

##### Node 3 (Groups B, C):
- Groups B and C form a clade within the larger clade of A, B, and C.
- Shared characteristics at this node:
- Double Set of Wings: Both B and C have two sets of wings, while A has only one set.

##### Node 4 (Groups D, E, F, G):
- Groups D, E, F, and G form a separate clade.
- Shared characteristics at this node:
- Curly Antennae: Groups D, E, F, and G have curly antennae, while A, B, and C do not.

##### Node 5 (Groups E, F, G):
- Groups E, F, and G form a clade within the larger clade of D, E, F, and G.
- Shared characteristics at this node:
- Compound Eyes: Groups E, F, and G have compound eyes, while D does not.

##### Node 6 (Groups F, G):
- Groups F and G form a clade within the larger clade of E, F, and G.
- No additional shared derived characters are evident at this node based on the given list.

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Final Answer:

The shared derived characters for each clade are as follows:

1. Node 2 (Groups A, B, C):
- Wings

2. Node 3 (Groups B, C):
- Double Set of Wings

3. Node 4 (Groups D, E, F, G):
- Curly Antennae

4. Node 5 (Groups E, F, G):
- Compound Eyes

Thus, the solution is:

\[
\boxed{
\begin{aligned}
&\text{Node 2 (A, B, C): Wings} \\
&\text{Node 3 (B, C): Double Set of Wings} \\
&\text{Node 4 (D, E, F, G): Curly Antennae} \\
&\text{Node 5 (E, F, G): Compound Eyes}
\end{aligned}
}
\]