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5.4 Cladistics (Clades (Nodes (If 2 clades are linked at a node, then…

- - - - the more similar the base sequences of two species are, the more closely related the two species are expected to be
      - Using non-coding DNA
        
        provides the best means of comparison as mutations will occur more readily in these sequences
        
        often used to compare closely related organisms (such as various human ethnic groups)
      - Using amino acid sequence
        
        have the slowest rate of change due to codon degeneracy
        
        typically used to compare distantly related species (i.e. different taxa)
    - - Limitations
        
        Closely related organisms can exhibit very different structural features due to adaptive radiation
        
        Distantly related organisms can display very similar structural features due to convergent evolution
        
        Convergent evolution
        
        Definition: the independent evolution of similar features in species with distinct lineages
        
        shared conditions cause common adaptations to be selected in different species