CLADISTIC CLASSIFICATION Meaning and
Definition
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Cladistic classification is a method of organizing and categorizing living organisms based on their evolutionary relationships. This approach to classification aims to create groups or clades that include an ancestral species and all its descendants. The central principle of cladistics is that organisms are grouped together based on shared characteristics inherited from a common ancestor.
Cladistic classification analyzes anatomical, morphological, physiological, and genetic traits of organisms to determine their evolutionary history and relationships. It uses a hierarchical system where organisms are sorted into nested groups, called clades, which reflect their shared ancestry. These clades are constructed using a branching diagram known as a cladogram, which shows the order and timing of evolutionary events leading to the appearance of different species.
The cladistic classification system relies on the identification of specific traits, or characters, that are shared by certain species and their descendants. These characters can be either derived or primitive, and their presence or absence helps determine the relationships between organisms. Derived characters are those that have evolved more recently and are shared by a smaller group of organisms, while primitive characters are those that are present in a larger group and have been inherited from a distant common ancestor.
In summary, cladistic classification is a method of classification based on evolutionary relationships and shared characteristics. It seeks to organize organisms into clades or groups that include an ancestral species and all its descendants. This classification system utilizes traits and characters to construct cladograms, which depict the branching patterns of evolutionary history.
Common Misspellings for CLADISTIC CLASSIFICATION
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- cladustic classification
- cladjstic classification
- cladkstic classification
Etymology of CLADISTIC CLASSIFICATION
The word "cladistic" is derived from the term "cladistics", which was coined in the mid-1960s by the German entomologist Willi Hennig. Hennig developed a new method of classification that focused on evolutionary relationships, based on shared derived characteristics. He termed this approach "cladistics" (from Greek "klados", meaning "branch" or "twig") to emphasize the concept of a family tree-like branching structure of species descent.
The term "classification" has Latin origins, with "classis" meaning "class" or "division", and "ficare" meaning "to make" or "to create". Therefore, "cladistic classification" refers to the act of organizing organisms into groups based on their shared derived characteristics, following the principles of cladistics.
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