Phylogenetic trees

Science

Definition

A phylogenetic tree is a branching diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships among species or groups of organisms based on shared ancestry. Branch points (nodes) represent common ancestors, and the pattern of branching reflects how lineages diverged over time.

Examples

  • A tree showing that humans and chimpanzees share a more recent common ancestor than either shares with gorillas
  • Using DNA sequence comparison to build a phylogenetic tree of bird species
  • Cladograms showing that whales are more closely related to hippos than to fish

Related Terms

Evidence of evolution Speciation Binomial nomenclature Domains and kingdoms

Study This Concept

Practice phylogenetic trees with free review games in these units:

Biology Unit 6: Classification and Taxonomy