Read and build a cladogram
Grade 9 Science Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
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
Read this first
Traits of five model bugs (model data)
Tips to place: J, K, L, M, N. No tree is drawn.
bug three-part antennae spotted back hooked legs J no no no K yes yes no L yes yes no M yes no yes N yes no yes Esme builds a cladogram of five model bugs from the trait table. Which description fits the traits?
- J branches first, then K, then L, and finally M and N share the last node
- J branches first; L and M share a node, since they are neighbors in the table
- J branches first; K, L, M and N then branch apart together at one single node
- J branches first; K and L share a node, M and N share a node, and the two nodes join
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.
animal jaws four limbs keratin skin growths hair lamprey no no no no trout yes no no no frog yes yes no no lizard yes yes yes no dog yes yes yes yes Jun wants to mark where jaws first appeared on the cladogram. Which branch gets the mark?
- The stem below node W, before lamprey split off
- The branch to node X, before trout, frog, lizard and dog split
- The branch to node Y, before frog, lizard and dog split
- The trout tip, because trout is drawn first among the jawed animals
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.
plant vascular tissue seeds flowers moss no no no fern yes no no pine yes yes no flowering plant yes yes yes Kira marks seeds on the plant cladogram. Where did seeds first appear, using the fewest changes?
- The pine tip and the flowering plant tip, with one mark on each tip
- The stem below node W, before moss branched off from the others
- The branch to node Y, once, before pine and flowering plant split
- The branch to node X, before fern and the seed plants split
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.
animal jaws four limbs keratin skin growths hair lamprey no no no no trout yes no no no frog yes yes no no lizard yes yes yes no dog yes yes yes yes Luz adds the hair mark to the cladogram. Hair is yes just for dog. Where does the mark go?
- On the dog branch, since it sets dog apart but groups no other animal
- On the branch to node Z, shared by lizard and dog
- On the branch to node Y, shared by frog, lizard and dog
- On the lizard branch too, since lizard sits next to dog
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.
Milo looks for a clade on the cladogram. Which group of animals is a clade?
- Lizard and dog, the descendants of node Z
- Trout and frog, because they sit side by side
- Frog and lizard, because both have four limbs
- Lamprey and dog, the two ends of the tree
Noah reads the clade that starts at node Y. Which animals does it hold?
Use the picture in question 6.
- Trout, frog, lizard and dog, the animals that descend from node X
- Lizard and dog, the animals that descend from node Z
- Frog, lizard and dog, the animals that descend from node Y
- Frog and dog, leaving out lizard because it sits between them
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. The mark for vascular tissue is on the branch to node X. The mark for seeds is on the branch to node Y.
plant vascular tissue seeds flowers moss no no no fern yes no no pine yes yes no flowering plant yes yes yes Pia reads the clade at node X: fern, pine and flowering plant. Which trait do its members share?
- Vascular tissue, which arose on the branch to node Y
- Vascular tissue, which arose on the branch to node X
- Seeds, which pine and flowering plant have
- Flowers, which the flowering plant has
Ren flips the branches at node Y, so frog is now drawn last. Which statement about the redrawn tree is true?
- Nothing changes about relationships; lizard and dog still share node Z
- Frog is now the most advanced animal, because it is drawn last
- Frog is now the closest relative of dog, because the two animals sit side by side
- The relationships changed, because flipping moves the branches to new ancestors
“rooted, not to scale” Tala swaps the branches at node W, so moss is drawn last. Which statement about the redrawn tree is true?
- Moss is still the outgroup, and the relationships are unchanged
- Moss is now a descendant of node X, because its branch moved
- Moss now branched off last, because it is drawn last
- Moss is now closest to the flowering plant, because the two sit side by side