cladogram

American  

[klad-uh-gram, kley-duh-] / ˈklæd əˌgræm, ˈkleɪ də- /

noun

Biology.

1. a branching diagram depicting the successive points of species divergence from common ancestral lines without regard to the degree of deviation.

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cladogram British  

/ ˈkleɪdəʊˌɡræm /

noun

1. biology a treelike diagram illustrating the development of a clade See clade

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cladogram Scientific  

/ klăd′ə-grăm′,klā′də- /

1. A branching treelike diagram used to illustrate evolutionary (phylogenetic) relationships among organisms. Each node, or point of divergence, has two branching lines of descendance, indicating evolutionary divergence from a common ancestor. The endpoints of the tree represent individual species, and any node together with its descendant branches and subbranches constitutes a clade.

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Etymology

Origin of cladogram

First recorded in 1965–70; clado- + -gram ¹

Example Sentences

For a different cladogram, based on fossil rather than genetic evidence, shows that one group of dinosaurs not only survived the impact but, with almost 10,000 living species, has outperformed both frogs and mammals.

From Economist

We’re talking about moving an animal something like two, three or four nodes on the cladogram – not a big deal at all.

From Scientific American

The highly simplified cladogram below depicts the relationships among most of the major iguanian groups.

From Scientific American

Until there, here’s a highly simplified cladogram to whet your appetite.

From Scientific American

Highly simplified cladogram showing one phylogenetic hypothesis proposed for crocodiles.

From Scientific American