Grouping Species Using DNA
Explain cladistics: organisms are grouped by shared derived characters, not just similarity; how phylogenetic trees are built using molecular data (DNA sequence alignment) and the molecular clock; explain why birds are technically a group within dinosaurs (crown Avemetatarsalia); distinguish convergent evolution (unrelated species evolving similar traits) from parallel evolution; introduce horizontal gene transfer and why the tree of life is more accurately a web; explain why classification systems keep changing as new data emerge
Typical age: 13–14 years
“Can your child explain why biologists now say that birds ARE a type of dinosaur — not just their descendants but literally within the dinosaur family tree? What does that tell us about how scientists classify animals?”
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Needs first
- The Biodiversity CrisisREQUIRED
Cladistic and phylogenetic analysis depends on understanding extinction rates and the current biodiversity crisis
- Chromosomes, Genes & DNA
KS3 chromosomes and DNA are the molecular basis for the sequence data used in building phylogenetic trees with molecular clocks
- Invasive SpeciesREQUIRED
Cladistics and phylogenetics depends on invasive species disrupting native ecosystems
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