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9th grade Read and build a cladogram worksheet

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Read and build a cladogram

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Ari builds a cladogram from the trait table of five animals. Which description fits the traits?

    • Lamprey and trout share a node, and frog, lizard and dog join them at a later node
    • Lamprey branches first, then trout, then frog; lizard and dog share the last node
    • Trout, frog, lizard and dog branch apart at one node, with lamprey outside that group
    • Lamprey branches first, then trout, then dog; frog and lizard share the last node
  2. Bo builds a cladogram of moss, fern and pine from the trait table. Which description fits?

    • Fern branches first; moss and pine share a node
    • Moss branches first; fern and pine share a node
    • Moss, fern and pine branch apart at one node, with no closer pair
    • Pine branches first; moss and fern share a node, since they sit side by side
  3. Read this first

    Traits of five model bugs (model data)

    Tips to place: J, K, L, M, N. No tree is drawn.

    bugthree-part antennaespotted backhooked legs
    Jnonono
    Kyesyesno
    Lyesyesno
    Myesnoyes
    Nyesnoyes
  4. Esme builds a cladogram of five model bugs from the trait table. Which description fits the traits?

    • J branches first; K, L, M and N then branch apart together at one single node
    • J branches first, then K, then L, and finally M and N share the last node
    • J branches first; K and L share a node, M and N share a node, and the two nodes join
    • J branches first; L and M share a node, since they are neighbors in the table
  5. Traits of five animals (model data)

    Cladogram (model data), rooted, not to scale. Tips from left to right: lamprey, trout, frog, lizard, dog. Node W is the root, where lamprey and node X branch apart. Node X is where trout and node Y branch apart. Node Y is where frog and node Z branch apart. Node Z is where lizard and dog branch apart.

    animaljawsfour limbskeratin skin growthshair
    lampreynononono
    troutyesnonono
    frogyesyesnono
    lizardyesyesyesno
    dogyesyesyesyes
  6. Jun wants to mark where jaws first appeared on the cladogram. Which branch gets the mark?

    • The branch to node Y, before frog, lizard and dog split
    • The stem below node W, before lamprey split off
    • The trout tip, because trout is drawn first among the jawed animals
    • The branch to node X, before trout, frog, lizard and dog split
  7. Traits of four plants (model data)

    Cladogram (model data), rooted, not to scale. Tips from left to right: moss, fern, pine, flowering plant. Node W is the root, where moss and node X branch apart. Node X is where fern and node Y branch apart. Node Y is where pine and flowering plant branch apart.

    plantvascular tissueseedsflowers
    mossnonono
    fernyesnono
    pineyesyesno
    flowering plantyesyesyes
  8. Kira marks seeds on the plant cladogram. Where did seeds first appear, using the fewest changes?

    • The branch to node X, before fern and the seed plants split
    • The stem below node W, before moss branched off from the others
    • The pine tip and the flowering plant tip, with one mark on each tip
    • The branch to node Y, once, before pine and flowering plant split
  9. Traits of five animals (model data)

    Cladogram (model data), rooted, not to scale. Tips from left to right: lamprey, trout, frog, lizard, dog. Node W is the root, where lamprey and node X branch apart. Node X is where trout and node Y branch apart. Node Y is where frog and node Z branch apart. Node Z is where lizard and dog branch apart.

    animaljawsfour limbskeratin skin growthshair
    lampreynononono
    troutyesnonono
    frogyesyesnono
    lizardyesyesyesno
    dogyesyesyesyes
  10. Luz adds the hair mark to the cladogram. Hair is yes just for dog. Where does the mark go?

    • On the lizard branch too, since lizard sits next to dog
    • On the branch to node Y, shared by frog, lizard and dog
    • On the branch to node Z, shared by lizard and dog
    • On the dog branch, since it sets dog apart but groups no other animal
  11. Use this

    Cladogram (model data), rooted, not to scale. Tips from left to right: lamprey, trout, frog, lizard, dog. Node W is the root, where lamprey and node X branch apart. Node X is where trout and node Y branch apart. Node Y is where frog and node Z branch apart. Node Z is where lizard and dog branch apart.

  12. Milo looks for a clade on the cladogram. Which group of animals is a clade?

    • Frog and lizard, because both have four limbs
    • Lamprey and dog, the two ends of the tree
    • Lizard and dog, the descendants of node Z
    • Trout and frog, because they sit side by side
  13. Noah reads the clade that starts at node Y. Which animals does it hold?

    Use the picture in question 7.

    • Lizard and dog, the animals that descend from node Z
    • Frog and dog, leaving out lizard because it sits between them
    • Frog, lizard and dog, the animals that descend from node Y
    • Trout, frog, lizard and dog, the animals that descend from node X
  14. Ren flips the branches at node Y, so frog is now drawn last. Which statement about the redrawn tree is true?

    • The relationships changed, because flipping moves the branches to new ancestors
    • Frog is now the closest relative of dog, because the two animals sit side by side
    • Frog is now the most advanced animal, because it is drawn last
    • Nothing changes about relationships; lizard and dog still share node Z
  15. Use this

    Tree A tips from left to right: lamprey, trout, frog, lizard, dog. Tree B (model data), rooted, not to scale, is Tree A with the branches at every node swapped.

  16. Zee compares Tree B, with tips dog, lizard, frog, trout and lamprey, to Tree A, with lamprey first. Does Tree B show different relationships?

    • Yes; dog is now far from lamprey, so the relationships changed
    • No; Tree B is Tree A flipped at every node, so the relationships are the same
    • Yes; Tree B has frog beside lizard, so frog is now a closer relative of lizard
    • Yes; lamprey is now drawn last, so it is now the newest group
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9th grade Read and build a cladogram worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Read and build a cladogram: nodes, shared traits, outgroups and clades. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say that each node (branch point) in a cladogram stands for an ancestor shared by the groups above it, and that the tips are groups alive today, not ancestors of each other.
  • I can find the most recent common ancestor of two groups by tracing both back until their lines meet.
  • I can name the outgroup, the group that branched off before the group being studied.
  • I can say where a shared trait first appeared: once, on the branch just below the shared node, and not separately on each tip.
  • I can build a cladogram from a trait table: count which groups share a trait, put each shared trait below its own node, and choose the tree that needs the fewest trait changes.
  • I can say why a trait that every group in the set has does not show which groups are closer.

Standard: HS-LS4-1

Words to know

cladogram: A branching tree built from shared traits to show how groups are related

tip: The end of a branch; a group alive today

node (branch point): A split in the tree; it stands for an ancestor shared by the groups above

root: The base of the tree, the ancestor of every group on it

shared derived trait: A trait that arose in an ancestor and is shared by its descendants

shared ancestral trait: A trait that every group in the set has

most recent common ancestor: The first node where the lines of two groups meet

sister groups: Two groups that branch from the same node

Common mistakes

Your child thought a group at the end of a branch is the ancestor of the groups beside it. Every tip is a group alive today, and a shared ancestor is a node. Ask your child, 'Is that a tip or a node?'

Your child thought the order of the tips shows progress from simple to advanced. The left-to-right order is a drawing choice, and only the nodes show relationships. Ask your child, 'Could we flip this branch and keep the same tree?'

Your child thought flipping branches at a node changes who is related to whom. Rotating a node only reorders the tips. Ask your child, 'Which node do these two animals share before and after the flip?'

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with read and build a cladogram?

Your child thought a group at the end of a branch is the ancestor of the groups beside it. Every tip is a group alive today, and a shared ancestor is a node. Ask your child, 'Is that a tip or a node?'

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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