Name ______

Cladogram Activity

Instructions:

1. Open the Cladogram Activity PowerPoint. Observe the structure of the animals

2. Then List the traits that you think that animal has in the Animal’s box below.

Choose from this list of traits:

A. Dorsal nerve cord, notochord

B. Paired appendages, backbone.

C. Paired legs

D. Amnion

E. Mammary glands, three ear bones.

F. Placenta

G. Foramen Magnum Forward.

What will you do if you don’t know what these traits mean? What will you do if you’re not sure if the animal had these traits?

______

______

Lamprey Rhesus Monkey Alligator

Human Bullfrog Goldfish

Kangaroo

Now, put the animals in order on this chart. First put the names of the animals with only one of the traits then the animal(s) with two traits, etc until the last animal is the one with all the traits. Check the boxes to show which traits you decided that this animal has.

**Now, draw a cladogram of these animals. Your teacher will give you details on this.

Animal Name
Dorsal nerve cord, notochord
Paired appendages, Backbone
Paired legs.
Amnion
Mammary glands, three ear bones
Placenta
Foramen Magnum Forward

When the cladogram is finished, go back to the PowerPoint and examine the photographs of the animals that were not on the page above. Place those final animals onto your cladogram based on your knowledge of the animals and their traits. (Where will you go if you don’t know anything about those animals?)

Questions:

1. What types of information can be obtained from a cladogram?:

A) probable relationships;

B) probable sequence of origins;

C) shared derived characters;

D) when each trait or group of traits first appeared;

E) all the above;

F) all but D;

G) none of these

2. If the cladogram just constructed is correct, the fossil record should show that different

groups of vertebrate animals...

A) first appeared at different times, each with new traits added to earlier existing traits

B) first appeared at different times, each with totally new combinations of traits

C) appeared at different times, with no particular pattern of trait appearance

D) all appeared at about the same time; the cladogram simply exaggerates that time frame

E) all appeared at about the same time, each with its own unique traits