EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -A phylogenetic tree, also known as a phylogeny, is a diagram that depicts the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor.

Detailed explanation-2: -To find the most recent common ancestor of a set of taxa on a phylogenetic tree, follow each taxon’s lineage back in time (towards the base of the tree) until all the lineages meet up. That node represents their most recent common ancestor.

Detailed explanation-3: -Biologists often represent time on phylogenies by drawing the branch lengths in proportion to the amount of time that has passed since that lineage arose. If the tree of life were drawn in this way, it would have a very long trunk indeed before it reached the first plant and animal branches.

Detailed explanation-4: -Cladogram vs. Some people use the names interchangeably, but biologists recognize distinct difference between the tree diagrams. Cladograms indicate common ancestry, but they do not indicate the amount of evolutionary time between an ancestor and a descendant group.

Detailed explanation-5: -Orthologous sequences provide useful information in taxonomic classification and phylogenetic studies of organisms. The pattern of genetic divergence can be used to trace the relatedness of organisms. Two organisms that are very closely related are likely to display very similar DNA sequences between two orthologs.