Department of Education

National Capital Region

SCHOOL S DIVISION OFFICE
MARIK INA CITY

General Biology 2
Third Quarter-Module 11
Systematics Based on Evolutionary
Relationships: Cladistics and Phylogeny

Writer Coleen Michelle L. Magalong

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master the nature of Biology. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many
different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary
level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the
course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with
the textbook you are now using.

After going through this module, you are expected to

1. demonstrate how shared derived characters can be used to reveal
degrees of relationship; and
2. build cladograms to infer evolutionary relatedness; and
3. describe species diversity and cladistics, including the types of evidence
and procedures that can be used to establish evolutionary relationships
(STEM_BIO11/12IIIhj-16).

What I Know

Match Column A with column B. Write your answers on the space provided before
each number.

Column A Column B
1. It is the history of the evolution of a A. Clade
species or group. B. Cladogram
2. It is a method of classifying organisms C. Cladistics
into groups of species called clades. D. Phylogeny
3. It is a group consisting of an ancestral E. Phylogenetic classification
organism and all its evolutionary
descendants.
4. It is a tree diagram where each branch
point represents the splitting of two.
new groups from a common ancestor.
5. It is the classification of organisms based
on traits of ancestor and descendant.

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 Column A Column B
6. It represents the initial ancestor common
to all organisms within the cladogram.
7. It corresponds to a common ancestor
that speciated to give rise to two (or more)
daughter taxa.
8. It is the most distantly related species in
the cladogram. Functions as a point
of comparison.
9. It is the species of interest, the group
of closely related organisms that
is investigated.

Lesson Cladistics

What’s In

Today the most common method of adding information into phylogenetic trees
is called cladistics. Cladistics shows how organisms are related based on traits of
ancestor and descendent species. The use of Cladistics was developed in the 1950s
by a scientist named Willi Hennig.
The classification of organisms on the basis of such relationships is called a
phylogenetic classification. This involves placing organisms in a clade with their
common ancestor. For example, Figure 1 below shows that birds are included in the
clade of reptiles which suggests that they came from a common ancestor, while
mammals are in a different clade because they arise from different ancestors.

Figure 1. Example Cladogram

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 What’s New

Activity 1
In the past, biologists would group organisms based solely on their physical
appearance. Today, with the advances in genetics and biochemistry, biologists can
look more closely at individuals to discover their pattern of evolution, and group them
accordingly.

Analyze the cladogram below, then answer the following questions.

1. Which trait does the lungfish and mammal have in common?

___________________________________________________________________
2. Which trait does the bird and the Lizard have in common?
___________________________________________________________________
3. Which species is closely related to flounder?
___________________________________________________________________
4. Which species is closely related to spider?
___________________________________________________________________
5. Which is least related to Lungfish, Lizard or Flounder? Why?
____________________________________________________________________

What Is It

Cladistics came from the word clade. A clade is a group of organisms which
includes an ancestor and all of its descendant species. A cladogram is a hypothetical
representation of the phylogenetic relationship between different groups of
organisms. It is generated by the analysis of morphological characters of the
organisms and DNA or RNA sequencing data and computational phylogenetics.
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Constructing Cladograms

How you construct a clade depends on which species you are interested in
classifying. Cladograms can be small which may include as few as two species and
their common ancestor or large clades which may include many species and their
common ancestors.

Figure 2. Parts of a cladogram

Figure 3. Small Cladograms

Figure 4. Large Cladograms

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Steps in constructing cladogram are as follows.
1. Identify sets of data on traits of a group of related species. The traits could be
physical or genetic, or it can be both.
Table 1. data of traits of a group of related species
Traits Lamprey Tuna Salamander Turtle Leopard
Vertebrae + + + + +
Jaw 0 + + + +
Four legs 0 0 + + +
Amniotic 0 0 0 + +
egg
Hair 0 0 0 0 +

2. Decide which traits were inherited from the common ancestor and which traits
evolved only in a descendant species diverging from a common ancestor.
Ancestral traits are traits inherited from a common ancestor while derived
traits are traits that have evolved when two groups shared a common ancestor.

Table 2. Ancestral trait and derived traits

Outgroup Ingroup
Has the ancestral Derived traits (ex. Vertebrae)
trait (ex.
notochord)
Feature Lancelet Lamprey Tuna Salamander Turtle Leopard
Vertebrae 0 + + + + +
Jaw 0 0 + + + +
Four legs 0 0 0 + + +
Amniotic 0 0 0 0 + +
egg
Hair 0 0 0 0 0 +

➢ Ingroup is the species of interest and the group of closely related organisms
that is investigated.
➢ Outgroup is the most recent ancestor, outside the group of interest.
3. Choose the best cladogram diagram. In a set of data, you can possibly make
several cladograms. But in order to lessen confusion, the diagram you should
choose should have the least number of branching points (parsimony).

Figure 5. Cladogram

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 What’s More

Activity 2
Fill out the following trait matrix. Mark positive (+) if the organism has the trait or
mark zero (0) if the organism does not have the trait.

Traits Salamander Shark Lamprey Lizard Tiger Human Gorilla

Jaw
Lungs
Amniotic
membrane
Hair
No tail
Bipedal

What I Have Learned

Activity 3

Fill in the blanks with word/s that will best complete the following sentences.
1. Today the most common method of adding information into phylogenetic trees
is called _______________.
2. Cladistics shows how organisms are related based on traits of_______________.
3. The use of Cladistics was developed in the 1950s by a scientist named
_______________.
4. The classification of organisms based on traits of ancestor and descendant is
called________________.
5. Cladistics came from the word _________________ which is a group of
organisms which includes an ancestor and all of its descendant species.
6. A cladogram is a __________________ representation of the phylogenetic
relationship between different groups of organisms.
7. It is generated by the analysis of __________________ characteristics of the
organisms and DNA or RNA sequencing data and computational
phylogenetics.
8. Ancestral traits are traits ________________ from a common ancestor.
9. Derived traits are traits that have _________________ when two groups shared
a common ancestor.
10. Outgroup is the most __________________, outside the group of interest.

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 What I Can Do

Activity 4
Using your answer in activity 2 in the previous page, construct a cladogram that will
best show the relationship of the given species in the table. Draw the cladogram
inside the space provided below.

Assessment

Essay. In 3- 5 sentences answer what is being asked.

1. What is the difference among a phylogeny, an evolutionary tree, a
phylogenetic tree, and a cladogram?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Analyze the cladogram below and then answer the questions being asked
below.

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 A. Which two taxa are more alike compared with the others? Why?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
B. Which two taxa are the least alike? Why?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Additional Activities

Analyze the cladogram below, then answer what is being asked the following
questions.

1. What trait is similar between a snail and a starfish?

_____________________________________________________________________
2. What trait is similar between flatworm and starfish?
_____________________________________________________________________
3. What is the difference between fruit fly and snail?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What is the difference between a sponge and a jellyfish?
_____________________________________________________________________
5. Which of the two have vertebrae fruit fly or human? Explain your answer?
_____________________________________________________________________

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 References

(1) Building a phylogenetic tree (article). (n.d.). Khan Academy.

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/natural-
selection/phylogeny/a/building-an-evolutionary-tree
(2) CK12-Foundation. (n.d.). CK-12 Foundation. https://flexbooks.ck12.org/cbook/ck-12-
biology-flexbook-2.0/section/5.11/primary/lesson/phylogenetic-classification-bio
(3) Cladogram- definition, features, parts, examples (vs Phylogram). (2020, June 19).
Microbe Notes. https://microbenotes.com/cladogram/
(4) Cladogram worksheet. (2018, January 13). Homeschooldressage.com.
https://homeschooldressage.com/cladogram-worksheet/
(5) Unit 1-2: Cladistics – The biology classroom. (2019, September 17). UBC Blogs.
https://blogs.ubc.ca/mrpletsch/2019/09/17/unit-1-2-cladistics/
(6) What is a cladogram? Definition and examples. (n.d.). ThoughtCo.
https://www.thoughtco.com/cladogram-definition-and-examples-4778452

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 Development Team of the Module
Writer: Coleen Michelle L. Magalong (SEHS)
Editor: Reynald Alfred A. Recede (MHS)
Reviewer: Jessica S. Mateo (Education Program Supervisor- Science)
Illustrator: Coleen Michelle L. Magalong (SEHS)
Management Team:

Sheryll T. Gayola
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
OIC, Office of the Schools Division Superintendent

Elisa O. Cerveza
Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division
OIC, Office of the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

Ivy Coney A. Gamatero

Education Program Supervisor – Learning Resource Management Section

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Schools Division Office- Marikina City

191 Shoe Ave., Sta. Elena, Marikina City, 1800, Philippines

Telefax: (02) 682-2472 / 682-3989

Email Address: sdo.marikina@deped.gov.ph

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