In a cladogram, which organism would exhibit the most unique characteristics: the ancient ancestor or the most recently evolved species?
I think it is ancient ancestor...?
please...
Sorry, I can't help.
Ok thanks anyhow
Since Jiskha doesn't have a biology expert at this time, please try posting your question at this site.
http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/
Which organisms in the cladogram are eukaryotes?
To determine which organism in a cladogram exhibits the most unique characteristics, we need to understand the concept of derived traits. A cladogram is a diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships between different species based on shared derived traits, also known as synapomorphies.
Derived traits are features or characteristics that are unique to a particular branch or group of organisms, and they are acquired through evolutionary changes over time. These traits distinguish one species or group from another and are more recently evolved compared to the ancestral traits.
The ancient ancestor in a cladogram represents the common ancestor from which all the other species have evolved. This means that the ancient ancestor possesses the ancestral traits, which are shared with all the descendant species.
On the other hand, the most recently evolved species in the cladogram represents the branches that have diverged from the ancestral line. These species are expected to possess the highest number of derived traits, making them more unique compared to the ancient ancestor.
So, in the context of your question, the most recently evolved species in the cladogram would exhibit the most unique characteristics because they have acquired more derived traits since diverging from the ancient ancestor.